Chapter Text
Sending reports on his progress on a regular basis was something Isagi was expected to do while with his human. He had to be able to track their moods, their actions, any anomalies they ran into and how they assisted them to fix them. He had seen examples of them from the other guardian angels and knew the format by memory, writing mock reports to prepare himself.
However, he didn’t prepare himself for when he killed his human!
No, no. That wasn’t the case. Isagi tried to calm himself down.
Itoshi Rin wasn’t dead. After falling off the bed, he hit his head on the wall and was, what humans called, ‘knocked out’. He didn’t respond to Isagi’s calls but when Isagi touched him, he was still warm. He was still breathing, indicating his internal organs were still functioning. He just didn’t open his eyes.
Isagi wasn’t sure what he could do to help, panicking inside. He moved Itoshi Rin to his bed and he didn’t move at all, head lolling back in his arms when he was picked up. While Isagi was tucking him back in, he tried to recall any information he learned about humans but his fear was preventing him from doing so. He floated for who knew how long, thinking, before there was a knock at the door.
“Oi, Rin. It’s time for breakfast. Get up already.” It was a male voice, sounding tired and frustrated. When there was no response, the door opened, revealing a tall male with reddish brown hair and the same striking teal eyes Itoshi Rin had.
He could recall Itoshi Rin’s profile in his mind and how it stated that he had an older brother, ‘Itoshi Sae’. This Itoshi Sae walked over to Itoshi Rin’s bed, placing a hand on his hip as he looked down at him.
“Seriously?” He frowned and shook his head. Itoshi Sae reached out and shook Itoshi Rin’s shoulder but he didn’t wake up. “Rin, you’re going to be late for school if you don’t wake up. Did you stay up all night playing a horror game again? Mom’s going to be pissed.”
Itoshi Rin still didn’t wake up. Itoshi Sae shook him harder. Was this how humans were supposed to wake up from unconsciousness?
“Rin.” Itoshi Sae’s voice became softer, laced with concern. “Are you alright? Wake up.”
Whatever Itoshi Sae did seemed to work. Itoshi Rin groaned, slowly sitting up, a hand on his head. He hissed, most likely from pain, before looking up at Itoshi Sae, squinting his eyes with a twisted frown.
Then his eyes landed on Isagi, floating behind him.
“Who the hell is he?” Itoshi Rin asked, pointing to Isagi. “Don’t tell me he’s supposed to be your friend or something.”
Itoshi Sae was quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?”
Itoshi Rin scowled. “That tacky looking guy behind you with those fake wings. I woke up this morning with him in my room and he knocked me out!”
“I didn’t knock you out!” Isagi protested, puffing his cheeks out angrily. “You fell back on your own and hit the wall! And these wings aren’t tacky!”
“Only because you were in my room!” Itoshi Rin argued back. He turned to his brother. “At least say something if you’re going to have someone over. And don’t let them into my room, you ass.”
“The hell are you talking about?” Itoshi Sae snapped, crossing his arms. “Who else is in your room? It’s just me and you. What guy with fake wings are you talking about?”
“The one right—” Itoshi Rin went to point to Isagi again before stopping himself as if absorbing Itoshi Sae’s words. He pursed his lips. “You…you can’t see him?”
“Rin.” The anger dissipated from Itoshi Sae’s voice and was replaced with the earlier concern. “There’s no one else here. Are you okay? You said you got knocked out, right?”
“I…yeah. My head hurts.” Itoshi Rin nodded slowly, the fire he had before quickly extinguished into confusion. He looked from his brother to Isagi then back to his brother again. He placed a hand on his head, wincing in pain. “What the f*ck?”
“I’ll let mom know you hit your head and you should probably go see the doctor.” Itoshi Sae grimaced as he turned to the door. “Should probably mention you’re seeing things too to make sure you’re not losing your mind or something.”
“Losing my mind…” Itoshi Rin muttered as Itoshi Sae closed the door behind him. He was slightly dazed, staring into space while his hand was still on his head. He didn’t notice Isagi floating closer to him, trying to get his attention.
“Um, Itoshi Rin?” He said as he waved a hand in front of him. Itoshi Rin looked up and stared at him for a moment before he laid back in bed, pulling the covers over his head. “Wait, at least let me introduce myself properly first!”
“You’re not real. You have fake wings, you can float, my brother can’t see you – you’re not real and this is just a dream or I’m going crazy.”
“No, this isn’t a dream and you’re not going crazy!” Isagi said. He floated over to where Itoshi Rin’s head should be but it was covered by his blanket. Isagi sighed, not expecting how this was turning out but pulled out the negativity, determination brimming inside his chest. “My name is Isagi. I’m your guardian angel which explains the wings and why your brother can’t see me. As your guardian angel, only you can interact with me! I mean no harm. It is my job to be your guide!”
“...like hell I’m going to believe that.” His voice came out muffled from under the blanket but he didn’t move out from under. “When I wake up, you better be gone.”
Isagi pouted, floating back up in a sitting position, crossing his legs and arms.
It couldn’t be that hard to believe that he was a guardian angel, right? He had checked himself, and he definitely looked the part with a fancy new uniform, looking like all the other angels. Was his hair unkempt or was it something about his attitude? He had been practicing for decades already and it still wasn’t perfect? But then again, he supposed there was a little flub with his introduction. Itoshi Rin must’ve had a bad first impression of him! He had to prove to him that he meant no harm.
But how?
There was a knock on his door and a woman with striking similarities to Itoshi Rin entered. She also had dark hair though it was tied up in a ponytail revealing sharp looking teal eyes. She must have been Itoshi Rin’s mother, Itoshi Yui.
“Rin, Sae told me that you got injured?” She asked with a firm tone. She approached his bed as he lowered his covers, revealing his face. Isagi marvelled at how easily she got him to do so when all he got was yelling. Itoshi Yui sat on the bed and reached for his head. “This isn’t an excuse to skip school, right? Where does it hurt?”
“On the back,” Itoshi Rin said with a grimace. He looked at his mother, glanced back in Isagi’s direction, then looked back at her again. “I think I got a concussion.”
“I see.” She said as she reached for his head. She touched the back of it, causing Itoshi Rin to wince. “How did that happen?”
For a brief moment, Isagi thought he saw Itoshi Rin’s eyes look back at him.
“I had a nightmare and fell out of bed, hitting the wall.”
Isagi gasped, offended. “I’m not a nightmare! I’m a guardian angel!”
Rin gave a small snort.
“Hmm,” Itoshi Yui hummed as she placed her hand down. “You seem to be functioning alright but we better make sure. Get dressed and have breakfast first and then we’ll head to the doctor’s.”
“Alright.”
Itoshi Yui was prompt and quickly left. Rin got out of bed, ignoring Isagi on his way to the closet. He pulled out some clothes, placed them on his bed then reached for the hem of his shirt before pausing. He whipped his head to glare at Isagi. Isagi shivered at his deadly look.
‘He’s just a human and I’m an angel!’ Isagi reminded himself. He instinctively glared back at Rin but wasn’t sure how effective it was. ‘I’m backed by the Almighty Lord Noa! There’s nothing to fear!’
“Do you mind?” Itoshi Rin asked coldly. Isagi held his ground.
“I do mind!” He argued and crossed his arms. There was no way he was going to bow down to Itoshi Rin’s demand. He was here to guide him in the right direction! What he said was absolutely correct and in the name of God! He nodded to himself, affirming that he was correct!
“What the hell?! A burglar and a pervert?!” Itoshi Rin crossed his arms over his chest, placing his hands on his shoulders and stepped back, bumping into his bedside table. “Get the f*ck out! Just because my family can’t see you, it doesn’t mean you can perv on me!”
“P-Perv—” Isagi stuttered in confusion. His face turned red, shaking his head. “I’m not a pervert! What gave you that idea?! I’m not even a burglar! Itoshi Rin, you are mistaken on so many things!”
“Then why are you trying to watch me change?!” Itoshi Rin yelled back. He stomped over and tried to shove Isagi but his hand went through him as if he was just touching air. He took a step back, looking at his hand in surprise before glowering at Isagi. “Get out!”
They weren’t going to get anywhere at this rate. Itoshi Rin refused to listen to him, not even giving Isagi time to explain. At this point, Isagi had no idea what to do. He had heard that some angels had difficult assignments but they were able to eventually convince them of their good intentions.
Itoshi Rin thought he was a pervert.
“Fine!” Isagi said and he disappeared from the bedroom, feeling annoyed. He didn’t stray too far though. As a guardian angel, he had to be near his assigned human to watch him so he just floated above the roof of the house as he contemplated his next move.
At first, he thought he should contact Heaven and ask for advice. That was the most logical solution but he also didn’t want to ask for help on his first assignment, especially when it’s only the first day! He had worked hard to be prepared so how could he face his colleagues, asking for help so quickly.
He could figure it out.
He had to figure it out.
But by the time Itoshi Rin and Itoshi Yui exited the house, entering into their ‘car’ to go to the doctor’s, Isagi still hadn’t thought of anything.
He automatically followed, the invisible string tied to him and Itoshi Rin dragging him as the car sped off.
Seeing as it was Isagi’s first time in the human world, he couldn’t help but look around. Heaven was just so white; everything was white with perhaps a bit of gold or other colours here and there. There were multitudes of colours reflected in the environment; the buildings, the trees, the animals, and people they passed by. He should be startled as he flew around, at the same level as the cars heading towards him, but remembered that he was able to go through them.
He was only able to peek into cars briefly, being tethered along to Itoshi Rin. He was fascinated by how they moved as they didn’t have any wings nor had any divinity inside of them. He phased through the Itoshis’ car and looked around. He noticed Itoshi Rin tense, head turning to look back at him with a glare.
“Rin, is there something back there?” His mother asked but Itoshi Rin turned back to face the front.
“Nothing. I just saw a pest. I thought I had gotten rid of it but it’s still here.”
“Excuse me?!” Isagi cried out indignantly. Why did his first assignment have to be so rude?!
He stayed quiet the rest of the trip, just staring at the inside of the car with fascination. He tried to float closer to the front to see how Itoshi Yui was operating the vehicle but Rin was staring daggers into him that made him refrain.
The car finally stopped and they arrived at a building much larger than the Itoshi home. Isagi followed them inside, watching as Itoshi Yui talked with someone at the front desk then looked around the area.
This was a ‘hospital’. Humans went to these places if they were injured or sick. Did Itoshi Rin hit his head hard enough that he had to go to the hospital? Wait, wasn’t Isagi the one that caused that? Did that mean he was at a risk of dying?
No, that wasn’t supposed to happen! Rin wasn’t supposed to die yet! Isagi still had so much work to do with him.
“Hey, Itoshi Rin…” Isagi began as the pair sat down in the waiting area. “A-Are you okay? Is your head fine? You’re not dying, are you? I really didn’t mean to scare you so that you’d hit your head! I just wanted to introduce myself.”
“So annoying.” Itoshi Rin mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose with thumb and finger.
Isagi lowered his head dejectedly. He was going to fail his first assignment and there was nothing he could do about it! Rin was going to die any moment; he had no way to heal him or stop him from dying. He could only stop it before it happened by protecting him and he couldn’t even do that from the dastardly wall!
He could only hope human medicine was enough to save him.
“Rin-kun just has a slight concussion but otherwise, he’s fine.” The doctor, Doctor Jinguji, said with a serene smile. “Doing school work shouldn’t be too much of an issue but you should still rest well for a few days. I’m sure Rin-kun knows not to strain himself too hard.”
“That’s a relief.” Itoshi Yui said with a sigh.
“Hey, doctor.” Itoshi Rin began, eyes shifting to the corner of the room where Isagi was huddled. He quickly looked back when Isagi tilted his head. “Do…concussions make me see things?”
“Hmm, you can definitely have some blurry vision or see particles from a concussion but based on what we see for you, it shouldn’t be a major issue.” Doctor Jinguji answered.
“I see.”
They left not long after that, Isagi relieved to hear that Itoshi Rin just needed rest and was not on the verge of dying. He could keep his job a little longer at least. He feared the day he would have to deal with the Almighty Lord Noa’s disappointment.
They returned to the Itoshi home and Isagi followed Itoshi Rin to his room. He sat on the bed as Isagi floated in front of him, waiting for him to speak up. Itoshi Rin seemed to be ignoring him though, making Isagi anxious.
“I’m glad that all seems well, Itoshi Rin.” Isagi replied cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. “As long as we be careful in the future, there should be no—”
“Why are you here?”
Isagi paused. He tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding his question.
“I’m your guardian angel. It’s my job.” Isagi replied.
“But why now? What’s your goal?” Itoshi Rin was finally asking about him! Though he did look slightly weary as if he had given up resisting Isagi. He still looked angry though.
“I cannot reveal too much information.” Isagi said and he saw Itoshi Rin wrinkle his nose in distaste. “However, I can tell you that my goal is to guide you to have a happy life.”
No matter how much Itoshi Rin resists, Isagi was still going to accomplish his goal. Even if he continued to glare at Isagi, yell at him, or try to kick him out, Isagi would bear with it. He had to make sure Rin was happy, having absolutely no regrets about his life.
It was his job after all.
