Kangaedasu

The echoes of wood meeting stone. A splash. Fog all around. A stumble into a shrouded figure. And a gasp.
Hikari wiped the flour from her hands on her apron, brushing away the labours of a fruitful day in the bakery. There were still some rock cakes and loaves left unwanted by the day's trade. "Hey, Levant. Levant! I'm going back now, mind if I take these back to Orudo-homu? We have a new guest arriving soon!". She didn't wait for his reply, instead she folded the breads neatly into her basket and walked away, her wing twitching with a self important grace. Levant wandered to the sound of the bell's jangling, then peered out at the retreating silvery haired girl. "See you tomorrow!" He called after her, then waved a large pan with a hole in the middle in her general direction, "You're going to need this doughnut mould then!". Hikari dropped the basket in consternation, shocked at having forgotten something so important, then made a start back to the bakery, thanking Levant profusly as she swept the mould into her arms, then rushed back the way she had been headed, pausing on the way to sweep up the basket before making her agitated way back to the orphanage.
She dumped the remains of her baked bounty on the kitchen table, quickly assessing them for damage caused by her earlier mishap as she caught her breath. "Nemu! Has she arrived yet? Nemu! Rekei?! Have they all gone? Am I already too late?" Nemu slowly stirred from her wandering dreams, her halo tilting up as she looked toward the interloper's voice "Hmmmm...?" she questioned, "Am I too late? Is she here?". Nemu slowly shook her head, then pointed upstairs, "They're all waiting still" she mumbled before drooping back into her chair. Hikari took a few anxious steps up, then stopped to collect herself, "No need to rush now". As she approached the top of the first flight of stairs, she heard a slight squelching, coming from a little way up the corridor. It was time she was sure, and Kuu's cry of joy confirmed it. Hikari straightened her glasses, tossed her apron aside, and bustled the rest of the way to one of the abandoned rooms. Kuu was in there stood next to an upturned stool on her own, "Have you been here all day again?" chided Hikari, towering over Kuu who was particularly short for her age. She could still hardly believe Kuu was really old enough to work, but she did her share working at the thrift store. While she had absolutely no interest in fashion, she did have a keen eye for a good sell, and rode customers a hard bargain. A rumble further in the room rose coos from Kuu, and Hikari remembered herself, "Looks like it's time!". There was a large, biological sack in the corner of the room, which had thrust tentacles around, latching onto the ceiling, the walls, the floor, bookcases and boxes, and grown to take up most of the storage room. Now something was trying to escape.
"You can do it! You can do it!" Kuu started jumping with anticipation. It was her first discovery, and she wanted to be the first to see what was inside too, "Can we help?" she peered closer, then jumped back as a bulge thrust its way toward her, "Wow! This one's gonna be strong!". Hikari giggled a little, "You know she has to do it on her own, she'll only be weak if she can't" and as she said that, a small gash burst out, spilling a warm, clear liquid through it as it widened. "Here she comes!" Kuu had to be held back to stop her rushing to see inside before a hand pushed its way into the air, and a girl with flame red hair tumbled out, collapsing into Hikari's waiting towels.
She awoke a while later to Hikari's slightly concerned eyes, and Kuu's bright face grinning close to the girl's. They'd cleaned her and dressed her in a robe, then let her sleep in one of the old rooms. The bed was a little small, but it was OK for now. The girl blinked a few times, then began to sit up as Hikari placed Kuu back at the foot of the bed. "Wh... Who are.. Where am I? Is this my bed?" She looked down then back up at the other girls. "We are the Haibane of Orudo-homu! Old Home. My name is Hikari, and she's Kuu. We're so glad you've arived safely." the girl looked  a little blankly at them, "Arrived? How did I get here? I remember... cobbles. Rain and footsteps. And cobbles. Was that here? Did I have an accident?" Kuu looked up at Hikari, and she looked back at Kuu and they grinned at one-another. "Hello! That was your dream! It's a long story, but really none of us know how we got here, but does anyone? Mine was of a bright, wonderful light." explain Hikari enigmatically. "But..." the girl gasped and reached for her saviours "I don't remember! Who am I? Why can't I remember?" she tried her hardest not to cry, clinging onto the hope that she was still just sleepy and or in a dream waiting to awaken. "None of us do. We just... arrive! And here we are, the Haibane! But your name? Hmmm. Rain? Ame? Or Ashioto! I like that that. Footsteps, creepy! But... did you say cobbles?", the new girl nodded, still overwhelmed and beyond comprehension, "Then hello, I am Hikari, nice to meet you Maruishi!". The new Maruishi looked hard at the two girls, then flopped back toward the warm covers, consciousness holding her only long enough to register something strange about the people she'd seen. Angels.
When she awoke again, it was to a light fever and Hikari's hands dabbing at her face with a damp towel. She stared a little muzzily at her, slowly taking in the halo hovering over her head, and the small, dainty wings batting at the air gently in time with Hikari's dabbing. "Oh, are you awake Maruishi? I'm really sorry to have left you with some few answers, but it will all make sense in time. But for now, just sit up for me. I have a gift for you from the Toga!" she opened up the pan resting beside the bed, and reached into it with a pair of tongs, pulling out a fresh, steaming halo of an iridescent metal, so thin as if to almost be made of light. "Is that for me? Where do I...? Wait! It's hot!" She flinched back as Hikari reached forward and toward the startled girl's face, "Don't worry, it'll cool down quickly, look!" She held the metal out toward Maruishi's hands. The girl tentatively reached the rest of the way, then quickly brushed it with a finger. "It's cold!" She glanced back up at Hikari, "Yup! Now let's set this up here for you" she smiled as she took the halo and placed it carefully above her hair. It wobbled a little and made Maruishi's red hair stick up, but it stayed to Kuu's gleeful cheer, "Well done Hikari! That's the first one you made right!", Hikari looked a little bashful, grinning at her handiwork. It wasn't too often that a new Haibane would come. She sat on the edge of the bed, then reached round behind Maruishi and into her robe, "hold on a second, they're still new and don't quite know what they're doing." her hands came back through neat slits in the back, tucking pale grey wings out into the air. "There we go. You'll soon be a true Haibane!".
All the Haibane really new was that they'd come in cocoons to be cared for in this city, and some day they might leave again. Perhaps they had to make up for the sins of a previous life, or maybe it was a reward for the good they brought. But until the light took them away again, they just had the walls that kept them there and their dream to remind them of where they'd been and of the world they'd once lived in.