Angels are extremely similar to humans, other than their wings. But once one becomes a guardian angel and passes into the realm of the living, the wings are painlessly removed. Guardian angels are not, contrary to popular belief, apparitions that watch over us day and night. They are beings inserted into our lives by the Guardian Angel Agency, whom we recognize as humans. They may be a neighbor, a friend, or even the weird guy that runs the hot dog stand on the street below your apartment. But they aren't as they seem, and to keep that illusion up, they are susceptible to anything that a human is. Injury, sickness, you name it. But they are faster healers, have stronger immune systems, and are less likely to contract any illnesses. It is extremely hard to kill an angel.
An angel's eyes are special. They are oddly-colored, often either brighter than normal or a strange shade. They are capable of calculating anything that endangers their charge, and keep track of everything they witness, though unknown to the angel. All guardian angels have photographic memories, and most have extremely high IQs. This aids in solving recurring problems, among other things.
Kanda woke to the alarm clock buzzing madly in his ear, spouting some stupid new boy band on the radio. He raised his hand and smashed the device's off button, stopping the thing from breaking his eardrums. He stood and stretched his arms high above his head. He shed his pajamas and pulled on his exercise gear; sweatpants and a cutoff tee.
Morning was his favorite time of day. The air hadn't yet gotten stuffy, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there were absolutely no people around at this ungodly hour.
He snatched his katana, Mugen, from where it rested on the dining room table and exited his small apartment. He jogged the seven flights of stairs to the ground floor and exited quickly, before the desk lady noticed him.
"Kanda, wait!"
Oops, too late.
"What the fuck do you want today, lady?" he asked grouchily. This was normally where his day started to go south. The lady furrowed her brow at his language and held a perfectly manicured nail out towards him.
"You listen here, you hooligan. I only let you stay here because you can pay beforehand every month. But if you go causing another ruckus with anyone else who lives here, you're out. I can't have you ruinin' my business and my reputation with that temper of yours."
Kanda snorted and turned away. "Whatever, lady. I could find a million places better than this dump to live; I only stay here for the park across the street."
The lady scoffed and Kanda knew she had folded her arms, like she did every morning. He didn't stay to hear the wonderfully barf-inducing speech she had prepared for him about 'manners' and his 'rudimentary behavior'.
Maybe he should have.
As he walked across the street, ignoring everything around him, he didn't notice the drunk driver, still hammered from the previous night, come swerving down the street maniacally. At the last second, he heard a squeal of tires and looked up to see the vehicle only a few meters away.
He stared into the oncoming lights numbly. He was even slightly curious what death would be like. Would he get to meet the big man in the sky that everyone always talks about? Or would he go down to the other half of things?
Kanda supposed he would find out soon. He closed his eyes tightly. There was a pressure against his chest, like a hand, then he hit the ground.
He opened his eyes slowly. He looked around him, and saw that he was off to the side of the road, out of the way of the car. But in front of the car, a few feet away from the dented bumper, was the body of an old man, crumpled in on itself.
'Ah, shit. Does that count as getting in trouble?'
Allen looked eagerly at the papers. He was finally getting to take the guardian's exam! He had been waiting for this day for a long time; two thousand four hundred and seventy-six years, to be exact. Normally, it only took two millennia to be able to take the exams, but Allen had been held back due to his lack of education.
That was okay, he was here now!
He ducked his head to the paper in front of him and thought about the question. 'Hmmm… what does a guardian angel absolutely never do? They never… put themselves before their charge.' He quickly scribbled down his answer and moved on.
After an hour, he lifted his head proudly and raised his paper. He stood and ran across the room as fast as he could, placing the paper on the examiner's desk. The elderly angel finished checking the paper in his hands before setting it off to the side and picking up Allen's papers.
Allen moved back to his seat quickly and sat, glancing around at the angels around him. They were anxiously awaiting their results as well. They were chewing on their nails, drumming their fingers, tapping their feet. One girl kept running her hand through her hair, tangling her fingers in it and twisting it into a small ball on the side of her head.
At three o'clock, a bell rang, signaling the end of the testing period. Everybody stood up from their chairs and walked out the door. Allen took a shaky breath and flexed his fingers. They were stiff from being clenched so tightly. He walked with the rest of the angels to the front door and outside. He parted from the rest of the group as they all went down to the nearest bar.
What, angels can't have any fun?
Allen walked the four blocks to his home and unlocked the front door. He closed it gently behind him and sighed, looking around. His place was small, but nice. It had two small bedrooms and one and a half baths. The kitchen was full-size and even had a microwave. He kept the fridge well-stocked, enough for several days if need be.
He tossed his pencil onto the table and tossed himself onto the couch. He groaned into the pillow; he had realized multiple questions that he could have answered better. Boy, if he failed this one, he was gonna be a normal old angel for the rest of eternity. He didn't want that! He wanted to protect people, save their lives. Not welcome them to the afterlife and be boring.
He whipped himself up a quick supper and wolfed it down, dumping his dishes in the sink. He leaped up the stairs two at a time and catapulted into his bed. It was old and comfy, broken into his shape. He didn't bother to change his clothes as he clicked off his lamp and closed his eyes.
When he woke up the next morning, there was a message on his answering machine.
"Mr. Walker, this is Joshua Pinkett, I work with the GAA (Guardian Angel Agency). I am pleased to inform you that you passed your test with a final percent of 93.76%. That is one of the highest scores in the past seventy years. Please go to the testing hall by noon today to receive your charge's file."
Allen jumped up and down. "Yes, yes, yes! I passed, I passed! Tim, did you hear? I passed the test, I'm gonna be a guardian!" A small yellow puppy ran through the doggy door in the back of the house. It leaped on top of a chair and onto Allen's head, yapping excitedly.
"Ha-ha!" He plucked the dog from his head and swung it around in circles. Suddenly, Allen froze, panic written all over his face. "Oh, Tim! I have to get going to the test hall! I'm gonna be late!" He dropped the dog and snatched his wallet from the kitchen table.
The white-haired boy sprinted down the road to the test hall, barely making it inside before the town's clock tower struck noon. He ran up to the back of the diminishing line. He wondered what kind of person he was going to guard. He hoped it would be somebody important. He would love to be known as the guardian who saved the person who saved the world from the apocalypse. That would be nice.
When he finally got to the front of the line, he held his hands out anxiously as the distributor snatched the last file from the bottom of the bin. 'Allen Walker' was scribbled in big black lettering across the front of the manila folder. The older angel placed it carefully in Allen's hands.
Allen thanked the man profusely before turning and dashing out of the hall. He skipped down the road, barely managing to keep his wings in check.
Allen closed his front door and leaned against it heavily. He tore open the folder, snatching the papers from inside.
"Come on, come on, gimme someone good!" He looked at the name. 'Yuu Kanda, huh? Sounds like an Asian name, do I have to learn another language to be his guardian?' Allen looked at the picture next. It was of a pretty girl who was scowling fiercely. She had long blue hair tied high in the back, with two strands loose in front of her ears. Her eyes were a cobalt-y blue, shining with unconcealed anger.
"Boy, I didn't get a nice one, did I, Tim?" The yellow dog whined in agreement. Allen glanced at the rest of the file. "18 years old, Japanese," 'Hah, I was right!' "Lives in England. Maybe I don't have to learn Japanese after all!" He chuckled.
"Okay, what's next? Family was…" He broke off. 'Oh, god, this kid's just like me. That must be why they put her in my care.' He took a deep breath. "Family was killed when he-Wait, he? This person is a boy?" Allen shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever. Family was killed when he was six, he moved from foster home to foster home before settling in with one Froi Tiedoll, who had two other foster children. He was never adopted, and lived with Froi until he recently turned of age and moved to London."
Allen took a breath. "I guess I'd better get a move on, Tim. This kid's in my care now, and if anything happens to him, I'm gonna be in some serious trouble."
The dog 'roof'ed seriously, already having dragged Allen's small athletic bag with all he needed for the time he would be in the realm of the living.
"Thanks, Tim, you're a real pal." Tim nodded huffily and sauntered into the next room.
'What a pill,' Allen thought. He pulled out the last thing from the bottom of the envelope, stuffing the rest of the papers back inside. It was a small, square-ish, metal block with a button on the side. He pressed it.
A blue beam shot out of the box, widening into a hologram message. A distinctly feminine voice emitted from the machine. "Hello, Mr. Walker. You have been chosen to be the guardian angel of Yuu Kanda. If you accept this charge, please nod for the camera." The voice paused. He nodded quickly, looking straight at the tiny lens. "Good. Now that you have accepted Mr. Kanda as your charge, this device will open a portal to the mortal realm. Once opened, this portal will last five minutes. Hurry through, as once it is closed it will not open again. Step carefully through, as the edges of the portals are unstable and could cause permanent dismemberment if touched." The voice cut off.
Allen gulped. He placed the device on the floor, away from his body. It vibrated once, long and high-pitched. A bright blue beam of light shot out from the top, widening into a swirling disc. It shimmered and shone, wavered and undulated. The portal was about seven feet high, and three feet across, to accommodate the largest-sized angels.
"No time like the present, I guess. Better get a move on." He hefted the athletic bag and tossed it over his shoulder. Taking one last glance over his shoulder to make sure he had left enough food for Tim, he stepped carefully through the portal and entered into the world of the living.