Chapter Two
Misha hovered over the veranda's railing for a moment before extending a foot down to steady her landing. This apartment had only been an hour's flight away from her old one - including the one wrong turn she had taken several blocks ago. And though she felt secure in thinking "only an hour", she still felt a little tired.
One glance inside told her that her belongings had already been delivered and unpacked. That was a good sign, she told herself with a smile - it wasn't often that she found the right place on the first try.
There had even been two occasions where Sasha had to come down to guide her.
Laughing at herself, she hopped down to the veranda. She reached into her back pocket and pulled the cell phone out. She flipped it open and quickly dialed a few numbers. It beeped three times, each in a different tone. She smiled to herself and slipped it back into her pocket.
She turned around so that she could see the city. She hadn't been paying attention when she flew in, so she wasn't sure what floor she was on. From the view that she had now, she assumed that it was the fourth or fifth.
At this angle the entire city looked as though it had been engulfed by the darkness of night. The light that shone through open windows reminded her of stars shining in the sky.
Maybe that was a stretch. But the view was still beautiful. She'd definitely be going for some sightseeing once matters were settled for the night.
She turned back to the apartment. She pressed her hand to the window's cold glass door. A few moments passed and nothing happened.
She sighed.
Though she'd been practicing it for so long, she still was not very skilled at phasing through solid objects. There were some times when she could, yet so many others where it was still impossible. Even with Sasha's teachings, when it came to the basics of angelic abilities, she remained a bit of a klutz.
She knocked on the glass a few times, then stared at it. The trick was - as she recalled Sasha so confidently telling her several times before - was to remember that as far as she, a full-fledged angel from Heaven, was concerned, the glass did not exist.
"Tell that to the window!" she sighed. Her hand curled into a loose fist, and she lightly punched the glass.
Giving up with another exaggerated sigh, she reached for the handle and slid the door open. As expected, the angels that handled moving her belongings had graciously left the door open for her.
She walked through the living room and headed for the front hall, where she guessed that the light switches were. She walked easily through the darkness, passing by the living room table, couch, and whatever else happened to be in her path as if they weren't there. If she could call them as such, her instincts were probably her strongest ability. She could sense the presence of humans, angels and demons that were near here - even inanimate objects were no problem for her. She was a little proud of her ability.
"Alright, Takashi-kun-san!" she babbled as she flicked the light switch on. She spun around to face the living room table with her more brilliant grin.
Atop the table sat an unmarked manila folder. A variant of loose papers filled the folder to the point where an elastic had to be used to hold it closed. She smiled inwardly. She'd never truly appreciated how hard angels worked to fulfill their duties to humans until after she became a guardian angel. With every new mission she was supplied a full background check of her target that ranged from their favourite colour to what grades they achieved in school, family status, and several photographs. They were the most extensive files she'd ever seen.
And she appreciated them dearly. She found it hard to approach humans without prior knowledge of them. She failed to meet a target that wasn't completely guarded with their emotions and didn't reject her the moment they met.
When she recalled her first attempts with Kotarou Higuchi she knew that she should have been expecting some rough times. From their first meeting on, Kotarou had been a difficult human to get along with. He found her behavior strange and could never wait to be away from her; he was stubborn and cold - whatever emotions he felt he attempted to hide behind his logical and practical façade. He frustrated her, and she couldn't count how many times he had made her cry. If it hadn't been for the promise she made to herself and Kotaroh, she wasn't sure if she could have kept up.
She sighed at herself. It was disappointing to admit even now, but Kotaroh and Kotarou, although they shared a soul, were two different people. They were two very different people, but she'd loved both dearly.
She bit her lip lightly. "If I have time… I should go visit Kotarou-kun." She clapped her hands together happily, having made the decision.
Misha skipped over to the couch and flopped down. It wasn't until the moment she felt the soft cushions under her that she realized how tired her body was. She settled back into the couch, sighing contently. For a moment she thought about skipping reading through the file and dragging herself to bed, but she quickly dismissed the thought. The last time she caught a glance at the clock on her cell, it hadn't even been eight at night yet. She had plenty of time to read through the files before heading off to bed for a nice, long overdue slumber.
She stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
"Well nows, Takashi-kun!" she declared, throwing herself into a sitting position so that she leaned over the table. "What can Misha learn about you tonight, su?"
Rather than patiently rolling the elastic from around the folder, she grasped it between her hands and pulled on it until it snapped. She opened the folder and began flipping through the various pages before her. Her eyes skimmed through the pages, soaking up whatever seemed like the most important information. Both parents were dead: the father died of an incurable illness, the mother succumbed to injuries sustained in a car accident less than a year later. He currently lived with his grandmother.
She unconsciously chewed on her lip as she read through the papers. Finally she reached the page that included details about his current situation. There were only three factors that she was truly interested in.
Mental Stability: Low.
Emotional Stability: Very Low.
Demonic Influence: High
She fell still for a moment, shifted her attention to the carpet, then glanced back at the papers to confirm what she had just read. It would be her first assignment involving a human that had been directly interfered with by a demon. The odds of a demon interfering with a human ranked close with the odds of an angel. There were probably fewer demons and angels in the Human Realm than she had fingers on both hands, and even those few limited their contact with humans.
It was easier for the angels to limit their contact. After all, their pure forms couldn't be seen by regular humans. However, demons were sly enough that it didn't matter whether or not they could be seen. They knew how to blend in with humans without actually having to acknowledge them.
In a sense, they were amazing.
She skipped the last handful of pages and went straight to the back of the folder, where the photographs were paper clipped to the back. She tugged them free and looked through them. The images were clearer than any camera in the Human Realm could have taken. The sight of a smiling blond-haired teenager talking with his friends immediately greeted her. The second picture seemed as though he had posed for it: a lone figure leaning against an old brick wall. His face was turned away from the camera, as if staring at something in the distance. The difference in his expressions was remarkable, to the point where she questioned if this was the same boy. There was a raw pain evident in his emerald eyes that forced her to move on to the next picture.
"He's pretty good looking," she admitted despite herself.
She finally reached the final photograph. Somehow the blonde had fallen asleep in a field, stretched out with his hands behind his head as a make-shift pillow. It was then she realized - and she had to laugh at the fast - that Sasha had been the one behind the pictures. When she discovered a "bishounen" she found excuses to stay around them longer.
She tossed all but the final photograph back on the pile of papers and studied.
"Takashi Ayanokoji, eh?" she mumbled. "Tomorrow, it'll be an honour to make your acquaintance. Su."
A/N: First matter at hand! Yes, "Takashi-kun-san" is an incorrect usage of name suffixes. Please do not imitate this. It is Misha, and she was chattering to herself. It just seemed to first her personality.
Secondly, Aura, the time difference between the Human Realm and Heaven are approximately one week. This is stated in both episode 20 of the anime and volume four of the manga, when Misha returns from Heaven after her angel exams. Where she is certain that only a day has passed, a handful have for Kotarou and the gang.
Lastly! Wow, it's been a while since I updated any fanfiction. Please forgive this author for neglecting her fanfiction. About two months ago, actually this was just after I released the first chapter of Guardian Angel, I decided that I would like to pursue original fiction. I have been doing that for the past while, and I've been fairly happy doing so. However, I have dearly missed my fanfiction, and hope that this time I am able to remember that I love working on both kinds. Please review to the story, let me know you're reading this! The more reviews I recieve, the more encouraged I am to work on it - so this benefits you as a reader! (lol)