Chapter Text
Do you ever wonder why random stuff happen so unexpectedly and for no reason whatsoever? Like how your phone screen that seems indestructible and undestroyable all the friggin time, and then it suddenly decides, 'Hey, why not fall on the floor and blow up?' Or how you're rushing to get somewhere, and start hitting every red light that you'd came across in lifetime? Oh, trust me, I know how that feels, it feels like someone's strangling your neck, or you're strangling somebody's neck waiting for them to die, whatever you get the point.
Remember those minor inconveniences that destroys and rams your day over like a damn bulldozer? Remember those weird accidents that happened throughout your whole pathetic life?
Well, you might be asking this question now. 'Who are you to judge my life? You don't control what I do. I do what I want. I'm the racer of this mad illegal road race called life.'
You're right about that, I can't control what you do. BUT I control every other thing that happens and revolve around you. HAH.
And that My Lucky Human, is an Angel's Duty.
My name is Tsukishima Kei. Your average everyday Guardian Angel. I work in the Specialist Department (SD), basically I deal with idiots that want to die. My job as a Guardian Angel is to prevent my human from dying before their destined time. And to do that, before being assigned to their human, an angel gets a book, also know as the Book of Life (BL) that records everything about their human, from little details like their weird fetishes to big things like their dreams and their deep secrets. But the main purpose of the Book of Life is to give angels a heads up of what's about to happen to their human. For example, a human is trying to get to work, which he's late for. But he notices that he stops in front of every traffic light he comes across. Humans feels frustrated and curses about how damn unluncky he is today. Little knowing their Guardian Angel is next to them, writing their asses off, trying to save their human from an incoming car crash by altering their fate.
Destiny and Fate are the same but also different things.
For humans, Fate is like a big maze, you get lost and after some turns, still wind up back in the same place you started. It's unpredictable.
For angels, a human's Fate is like a rattle snake. They give a warning before they attack. The Book warns the Guardian Angel before Fate bends and takes their human's life. That's right, Fate can act up too. The concept is, as humans prefer to say it, as common as bugs in a game.
To complete a Duty, an Angel must be successful at keeping track on their assigned human's daily life and then safely delivering and protecting them until their destined times.
Destiny is what a driver is to a car, something Angels must not interfere with. Destiny is given to a human so they can have freedom in life. A choice is made by a human, that is destiny. A choice which is not made by a human, that is fate.
I'm currently in Venice, Italy. My current human is a rich landlord that owns several mansions all across Italy.
"Ah, this is the life," I stretched my wings and back. The soft velvet pillows on this antique couch are as soft as Cupid's skin. The sunlight filtered in through the window, blaring brightly onto my wings.
Being an Angel, I am invisible to most, which I absolutely love. I was assigned to this human because he has lots of major problems recently that his original Angel got overstressed and decided to change humans.
There are two kinds of humans. The first kind, are the normal ones. Fate Change happens to everyone, as common as ants in the house.
When Fate Change happens, it usually bring Humans immediate death. Normally, Angels would get a warning before it happens. This is where it gets annoying.
For the second type of Human, it happens immediately, you don't even get a heads up. It's just there. We usually call these humans, 'Idiots'. Fate Change are triggered by the negative emotions humans feel. The more depressed they are, the more frequent Fate Change happens. Simply to put, they can die anytime. Unknowing to Humans, Fate bends to their owner's unconscious will.
I'm dispatched here from the special units because a normal Guardian Angels can't deal with this stress.
We usually follow where our humans go, and enjoy the same luxuries as they do.
A quick-paced tap from the window awoke me from my almost nap. Tidying up my white suit, I opened the freshly wiped window of my Human's master bedroom.
A pristine white bird dmperched itself daintily on the newly painted window sill, bringing important news with it by a small scroll tied around it's leg.
"A Dove? That's rare," I said, alerted. Doves are what used by Angels as messengers or phone, for humans. They usually appear whenever there's an urgent matter that you need to attend to. Since Doves aren't rare or eye-catching as any other bird, they make the perfect secret messengers for us.
Carefully untying the small scroll around the Dove's leg, the white bird flapped it's delicate wings and flew away quickly. It flew in a specific direction, probably to deliver it's next message.
As soon as the scroll was detached from the Dove's leg, the small scroll enlarged
into it's original size. I opened the scroll slowly, not wanting to know the content of it.
Getting a Dove doesn't necessarily mean that bad things are gonna happen, it just means I'd probably have to attend to a new human, and another Angel will take my place.
Angels from the Specialist Forces doesn't have a fixed human. It's been that way for sometime, we can choose to have a human, but we choose not to. I enjoy the short-term of all of this. Because if a normal long-term Angel fails to protect their human until their destined time, the said Angel will be clipped of their wings and sent to an unimaginable place. Rumours passed around and circled, taking different shapes and sizes. Some say they are sent to Hell, while some say they are punished because God loves all Humans dearly and equally. Who knows?
"Dear Tsukishima,
Sorry to send you a Dove on such short notice, but as you know we are currently short on staff in SID department right now. Stats collected showed that depression have been rising all throughout this century. With intense cases coming in more frequently, we wish you can came back to headquarters as soon as possible to discuss your next mission.
~Archangel Daichi"
I closed the scroll and sighed. I knew it was coming. With the window already open, I threw myself off the edge and free falled down the mansion.
It was a sunny cloudless morning. I closed my eyes and let the winds caress my face, the perfect weather for flying.
Inches before I hit the ground, snow white wings bursted out my back. I looked under me, my shillouete looked graceful, like a swan that glides gracefully on the clear mirror-like lake. A small smile made itself on my lips as the gentle winds of Venice flow through my short curly hair.
Ah, I'm gonna miss the taste of salty wind in Venice, the air of romance and beauty that colours this city of it's liveliness.
A high pitched shriek caught my attention, I stopped abruptly to try and find the source of the horrible sound. I arrived in a small rural alleyway, filled with piles of garbage.
I turned my head to see a kid crying on the ground with his grandma. Looking left and right, "Where are their Angels?" I said annoyed at their disresponsibility.
I stood along them and examined the both. Seeing by how his grandma's pained expression and the position she is holding her leg in, it seems that she has slipped and cracked her ankle. They were in a small alleyway so it is likely that nobody is going to hear them no matter how hard they scream for help.
My heart ached at the cries of the child and the pained expression of the grandma. She is biting her lip, trying to hold in the pain so that her grandson wouldn't panic even more.
I turned into my human form, which is not much different from my normal form, minus the wings and the halo. And of course I wore normal human clothes.
Appearing behind them, I waved to the kid, "Do you need some help? I'll help you carry your Grandma to the nearest clinic."
The child looked at me with his big frightened eyes. That's when it hit me.
Oh right, I'm in Italy.
"Ti aiuterò a portarla alla clinica più vicina," I patted his head. His chestnut brown eyes darted around, the child still looks reluctant to trust me. I racked my brain for a solution.
The ringing of the ice cream man gave me an excellent idea, "Un cioccolato per favore," and I paid the money for the chocolate ice cream.
Ice cream did the trick, the child's eyes lit up as soon as he sees me bringing back a cone of ice cream. The boy seems no younger than 5 years old with brown hair and tan skin.
"Grazie..." The boy thanked in a meek shy tone. I just smiled and proceeded to pick up his grandmother on my back. The boy grabbed onto my sleeve coat tightly with his free hand, as if scared I'm going to disappear any minute. As an Angel, I am gifted with enhanched strength. I used one hand to hold Grandma behind me back and used my other free hand to grab the child's hand.
We walked hand in hand to the nearest clinic, I've stayed in Venice long enough to know the neighborhood of this small area. After dropping them off at the clinic, only then their Angels came back. They looked apologetic and was about to open their mouths.
I ignored them and continued my way to the nearest library. Hmph! Damn idiots who don't do their jobs properly, do they think they have it rough to just run off like that? If they're placed in the intensive care unit, they'll definately lose their jobs and get their wings ripped off.
I stood in front of La Biblioteca, an old abandoned library. It is located in a remote area where people rarely come by. A 2-storey wood building with a shabby exterior due to the lack of maintenance with a garden of weeds growing around it in neglectace.
Upon opening the tatty creaky door, the dusty ran-down building changed into a bustling busy office filled with Angels in pristine white suits and Death Reapers in ebony black suits.
Each country has it's own Library that is used to store the Book of Life of every citizen of that country.
The interior design on Italy's Library is visually stunning. I always feel refreshed by how amazing this place looks, no matter how many times I come here.
The monumental neo-Greco interior features an atrium that, over an alternating black and white slab marble floor, soars 61 feet high to a latticed skylight of frosted heavy glass, surrounded by five tiers of ornamental black cast-iron balconies and gold-scalloped columns containing closely packed book stack.
The classical music that was played by the Gramophone in the main lobby was soft and soothing for the ears, as calm as a Death Reaper.
With the sunlight shining down the see-through window ceiling, I hopped onto an antique gold elevator and pressed the button for the 58th floor, where the Japanese department lies.
Each floors are alphabetically lined for the names for the country's many Humans. For example, Ashley is in the 1st floor because her name starts with A. So, after the 26th floor, they are usually divided into countries. The Japanese Department is on the 58th floor, any higher and we'll go to Heaven. Not that I usually get called there, my position isn't high enough to get summoned to Heaven. If those with low positions such as myself gets called up there, it probably means we screwed up really bad.
I clicked my tougue in annoyance and looked at my watch, impatiently tapping my feet. I sat down on the soft velvet sofa prepared on the each sides elevator. I sighed again, it's going to be a long ride. I can still see other hardworking Angels, Cupids and Death Reapers or 'Shinigami' as we say it back home, scruriying around with their tasks through the gold antique and elegant bird cage elevator. It's my first time riding in a Italy's Library's elevator, it's so high class and fancy compared to what we have back home. There's even fancy red wine in a small refrigerator on this elevator like what? The services here are gold.
With the elegant ding that rang, I huffed a relieving sigh and made my way down the castle-like hallway and hastily headed to Daichi's office. I stood before Daichi's office, I dusted my suit for any specks of dust. I don't enjoy people thinking thag I'm came from a dumpster. I knocked three times on the door steadily.
"Come in!" Shouted a smooth voice from inside. I grabbed the gold handle of the door and twisted it, leading me into Daichi's office.
Though me and Daichi are close acquaintances, his office always give me chills whenever I walked into it. It's a two storey office with ceilings are that are dormed with dazzling elegant paintings of Angels painted by humans long ago. Daichi's office is long with rows of bookshelves along the walls. The middle of the office are placed with antique clocks, globes and figurines dating back to the 18th century.
"Tsukishima! You made it just in time." Daichi waved to me on the balcony of his second floor.
"Seriously, not even a hello?" I scoffed with a scrowl on my face.
"It's not like we've only known each other for a day!" He laughed, "Come, I have something to discuss with you."
Flapping my heavy wings, I took a seat on a fancy armchair that is placed in front of his desk.
"Here is your human," He put a thick pile of flies in front of him. "I think you'll like him," Daichi smiled sweetly at me. "Would you like some strawberry shortcake and tea to go through with it? I already called someone to bring them in," As on cue, a petite Cupid with short blonde hair came in, "Thank you, Yachi. Put them here." He ushered the shy cupid and turned back to me "Take your time, Tsukishima. I'm not rushing,"
He's never been this goody-goody with me before. Something is wrong, terribly wrong. I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you planning? Just get to the point already," I crossed my amrs and leaned back into the arm chair.
"Well, you see here..." Daichi started.
I knew there was something up his sleeve.
"You're one of the most capable Angels in SD. You've never ever failed a mission before no matter how hard it was, not to mention your crazy luck with everything too! Here, take a look," He passed me white Book, identical to every living human's Book, with golden words 'Kuroo Tetsurou' written in Kanji on the cover. The book itself looks worn and dirty, a bit dusty, too dusty if I might add.
I sighed sympatheticly while caressing the book's worn edges with great care, "Judging by the state of this Book, this human must have been through a lot in life. A Book reflects their Human.Dusty because he feels lonely, worn because he's tired. This human doesn't have the will or motivation to live anymore..."
Daichi gave me a determined look, "This is the far worst case we've ever got this year. We're confident in your skills to heal this Human."
"I see..." I replied, anger seething into my voice and slammed by hand onto the table, making the cups of tea shake in the process. "But who is the irresponsible bastard that failed so bad that this Human became like this?! I will personally fig--"
"TSUKISHIMA! Save your love for humans when you're on the mission, it's not his fault. This human is a pickle to deal with, not every Angel are equipped to deal with a human with special needs,"
I rolled my eyes, "It just means you threw another impossible case for me,"
Daichi nodded and gave me a bright smile,"That's why this mission is perfect for you! The last Guardian Angel of this human gave up under great pressure that and stated he doesn't have the qualifications to keep up with this human. With your patience, dedication and love for them, I think they'll heal up super fast under your care more than any other Angel,"
"Ugh, fine," I leaned into soft arm chair as I took the Book and opened it, scanning the contents. My eyes got wider and wider as I flipped through each page, "Daichi...you told me it was a bad case, but I didn't think it was this bad,"
Daichi smiled cheekily at my response, "He was involved in a car accident recently and was hospitalized, and..." The Archangel trailed off.
"Would you be so kind to tell me why are all these pages blank?!" I flipped through each page even more frantically, itching to find even one word written on these white wrinkly pages.
"The Book records everything about its owner, including memories. So as you see, it's a prickly case because he suffers from amnesia,"
I gave Daichi a disbelieving look, "Amnesia? Are you kidding me right now?! It's not funny." Soon it then melted down into a scrowl. I mean, it's already assigned for me. "Fine, but I better get a long deserving break after this."
Daichi couldn't be more happy to comply, "Of course!"