GT: Inclemency Part 1

(Warning: This contains major spoilers regarding my Ghost Trick fanfiction: Monster. This takes place after it, actually. Well anyways, there is your fair warning. Feel free to read on, if that is what you wish, and most of all, enjoy!)
**

A flurry of white had rained down from the sky that morning. It floated down slowly like the feathers of an angel`s wing. Like a chorus from the heavens, the wind cried out into the sky, blowing, making the trees dance as the cold feathers were whisked about.
Truly…the day had at first been beyond perfect.

Like the snow on a winter`s cold day, her hair danced about upon the wind as she twirled, showing off her brand new cyan colored jacket and hat to the outdoors. The lace upon her scarf rippled in the wind as the cold breeze gently nibbled upon her nose, turning it a slight shade of rose along with her cheeks. Pure excitement and youth gleamed within her eyes.

On this day, she would get to brave down ski slopes for the first time; to feel that cold breeze lick upon her face, spraying the freezing snow against her cheeks in a refreshing sort of blast. A wave of something new; something she had never experienced before outside the walls of her old, gigantic, dark home. Langley`s Orphanage; where no one ever got to do absolutely anything outside of the property`s boundaries.

However, that was all gone now. There was no longer a black iron gate that she had to be forced to stay behind; to cry behind and curl up to try and make the utter black loneliness go away. No, she had a home now. A home that she was very thankful to have moved into just a few short months ago; a mere month after her adoptive father had been released from prison.

“Are you ready to go now, Illiana?” came Yomiel`s calm voice from the porch step as he wore a slight smirk on his face. He had obviously been standing there for quite some time, watching the young girl twirl about in the snow.

The albino rapidly shook her head, her deep blue eyes sparkling with delight as the knitted hat she wore on her head bounced a bit with her enthusiasm.

The blonde headed man merely closed his eyes and chuckled, though you couldn`t really tell since he was wearing such thick sunglasses. His slim form was dressed head to toe in snow gear, the colors mainly consisting of red and black.

The moment Illiana sat down in the passenger seat in the car, she was nearly bouncing with excitement. The moment Yomiel sat down in the driver`s seat, he could feel the car vibrating ever so slightly from how much the excited child was squirming about.

“Easy there, Illy. Now put your seatbelt on, would ya?” Yomiel chuckled, removing his winter gloves and clasping his fingers around the cool steering wheel as he clicked the keys into the ignition.

“I can`t believe I get to go skiing! Sissel said I was too little to do it, but you don`t think so! You`re the best, Yomiel!” she cried, locking her seatbelt into place before clasping her bare hands together.

“Where are your gloves, little missy?” Yomiel spoke up, narrowing his eyes through his sunglasses at the young girl.

“In my pocket! I didn`t wanna wear em’ in the car. It`d be too hot with the heat on.”

Without a second thought, Yomiel shrugged, pulling out of the driveway. “Alright then. I just don`t want you getting cold.”

After a lengthy drive full of many, many questions about every little detail about snow, Yomiel finally was able to park his car in the lot of the gigantic ski resort. Hill of Pearls was what it was called. Upon the billboard plastered with the logo was the picture of what appeared to be an angel`s face. In her hair, she wore large white pearls, which reflected the background of the skiing hills within their luster.

“ Yomiel…why is there an angel on the sign?” Illiana asked innocently, eyeing the billboard as she cocked her head ever so slightly. “It isn`t called Angel Hill…is it?”

Yomiel smirked a bit as he pulled a snowboard from the trunk of his car. The man had never been such a great skier, but he could snowboard just as well as he could walk.

“Now, now, Illiana. You don`t know about the legend of the angel that lives in these skiing hills?” he spoke up, trying to get a rise from the child with his story.

“A-an angel lives here? Does she ski too?”

Yomiel shook his head, crouching down to the young girl`s height, lowering his sunglasses so his deep blue eyes could pierce into hers for added effect to his tale.

“Oh no, she doesn`t ski. She lives high in the hills and gazes down at all of the skiers. Each time someone falls down, if they can`t get up, Annabell flies down and picks them back up again. Who knows, Illy…maybe Annabell the angel will pick you up today,” Yomiel murmured, a smile playing upon his lips as he stood back up.

“Wow,” the young girl breathed, glancing around at the many mountains. “I wonder which mountain Annabell stays on…”

On the entire trip riding in the ski lift, Illiana continually glanced about, her bright blue eyes scanning each and every place that an angel could be hiding. Yomiel couldn`t help but chuckle slightly. Her pure innocence was amusing…and extremely refreshing after being brought out of a prison that he had been locked up in for five and a half years.

Yomiel was lucky to have gotten out a few years early. But that was only due to a great sacrifice on his own part, as well as good behavior in jail, of course. Yomiel remembered it clearer than the crisp winter snow; ripping himself away from the paramedics the moment that Mino had been lifted off of his broken back.

To that very day, Yomiel couldn’t understand how his body hadn`t given out on him when he heard the roar of that car, or how he had managed to get there without getting tackled by the police. Or most of all…how he managed to get hit by a car on top of all of that after pushing Illiana out of the way.

Yomiel had left that scene literally screaming in agony, and Illiana`s eyes had seen it all, as well as Jowd`s. The man had saved a total of two young girls that day; Lynne, and Illiana. Yomiel knew very well that Jowd was still confused to present day about how he had known Illiana was going to be hit, or that Mino was going to crush young Lynne, but that didn`t matter.

Yomiel remembered the first day that Illiana had come to visit him in the hospital, little and frail as she was. She hadn`t known him, but she knew very well that he had saved her, and that was all that mattered. She told everyone; nurses, doctors, and even Jowd about what Yomiel had done through her excitement.

And luckily enough for Yomiel, Jowd had a slightly soft spot after everything that had happened to the man. On one of the nights that Yomiel had barely been conscious due to the pain medication…he remembered Jowd sitting in the corner of his room in a chair for quite some time. He had stayed completely, utterly silent, thinking that the hurt man had been asleep.

Maybe that was when Jowd had decided not to keep Yomiel in jail for the full amount of time…but he couldn`t be certain. However, the expression on the detective`s face, Yomiel knew all too well. A face full of contemplation, and maybe remorse. No one could truly know what had gone on in that man`s mind on that evening…

Regardless, Yomiel had been let free from the prison sooner than expected, and was helped more than he would`ve expected from certain people. Truly, he was lucky. And all through those long five years…Illiana had visited him countless times, always asking questions, always wanting to know how he was along with his dear fiancée, Sissel.

And the rest, Yomiel thought, was history. He didn`t have a doubt in his mind that he wanted the girl for his own to raise…to bring out from the cold claws of loneliness in that orphanage

Abruptly, Yomiel was pulled from his thoughts the moment Illiana cried out.
“Yomiel! We reached the top! What do we do?!” Illiana cried, her eyes glancing below her skiis, at the frozen ground.

“Why, we jump, of course,” Yomiel murmured, clutching the young girl`s hand to insure she would fall off the seat of the lift along with him.

“Okay, get ready now, Illy. In three…two…one…jump!”
***
The day had seemed to go by in a breeze. Even though it was full of tripping and almost smashing into many other skiers, Illiana was having the time of her life, Yomiel thought. He had never heard her laugh so much, or see that smile as wide as it was.
Truly, it had been a wonderful day; something Yomiel definitely needed if not just to help lift his spirit. The snow was still falling as the sun began to set, and skiers were beginning to leave as the horizon began to darken.

After about another half hour or so, Yomiel finally decided that it was about time that they went home.

“Hun, I think it`s time we take our leave. We can go home and have hot chocolate, alright? Would you like that, Illiana?”

The albino stared up at Yomiel for a moment before clutching one of his hands tight.

“Can we go one more time? Please?” she innocently asked, staring at the ski lift. “Look, it`s still running! We have time to go one more time. Can we? Pleeeease?”

Yomiel bit his lips as the girl squeezed his hand tight, her eyes burning through his sunglasses, and maybe into his very soul. A tiny smirk played over his lips.

“Oh…alright. But this is the last time, understand, little missy?”Yomiel murmured, unhooking one of his feet from the restraints of his snowboard so he could walk to the lift and pull Illiana with him since she wasn`t very good at walking in her skis.

“Besides,” the girl spoke up, her eyes wide with wonder. “I still haven`t got to see Annabell yet!”

Yomiel found himself regretting having made up the story about the angel of the ski slopes. They might have been in the warm car by now if he hadn`t told the fictitious tale.

Yomiel quietly watched Illiana as she swung her feet as the lift brought them into the air. It was truly getting dark, and extremely quiet as well.

“Yomiel…thanks a lot for bringing me here,” the albino quietly murmured, her hands clutching tightly around the lap bar as she peered over the side. “This was the funnest day I ever had.”

Yomiel smirked slightly, placing a hand on the girl`s hat, ruffling it atop her head.

“Well we had to find something fun to do while Sissel is having all that excitement on her business trip, right? She can`t be having all the fun,” the man chuckled, smiling warmly.

“That`s right!” the girl chimed in. “We`re having way more fun.”

Quite suddenly, a rumbling noise cut through the air. It was quiet, and then followed by a sharp click.

It didn`t take long for Yomiel to realize that the ski lift wasn`t moving any longer.

Oh no…that can`t be good, he eerily thought to himself as he peered over his shoulder. He could see the large resort far behind him. When they had gotten on the lift, there had hardly been any people there.

“Yomiel…why`d the lift stop moving?” Illiana asked, tugging on the man`s coat sleeve. “Is it broken?”

“I…I`m not exactly sure, Illiana. But I am sure that someone will be here to help us down soon enough, alright? We`re gonna be just fine.”

Glancing down at the girl, who was still gripping his sleeve, Yomiel let out a quiet sigh.

“Illiana…for god`s sake, why aren`t you wearing your gloves?” he murmured, raising an eyebrow as he took off his sunglasses and rested them atop his head.

Illiana stared down at the ground far below them and bit her lip.

“I forgot them at home,” she quietly murmured. “I`m really sorry I lied, Yomiel…I just really wanted to come here and not have to go back home and get them…”

Yomiel shook his head, but that was it. There was no need to get angry over something so simple considering that Illiana was already apologizing for having lied about the gloves being in her pocket. In all honesty, Yomiel was more shocked at the fact that he hadn`t noticed that the girl`s hands had been bare though out the entire day!

“Here, put these on,” Yomiel quietly murmured, taking his own gloves off and offering them to the young girl.

“B-but you`re gonna be cold,” Illiana whimpered in protest.

“No buts. Put the gloves on. Your hands are as cold as ice.”