The Guardian (RyuHll and MareepBell)

The young man let out a groan as he heard his alarm buzzing. 6:00AM. Another early morning to go around town and see other murders or thefts or the like. It became the norm for the twenty three year old. He had always been curious about the world around him. It's what led him to many adventures when he used to live at the orphanage. Five years ago, he managed to leave, making his way to the city and making a profession out of his curiosity. Find the secrets of the city and exploit them for a story. That was his job now, as a reporter.

The reporter, William Young, quickly showered, dressing in his normal suit. It was a bit troublesome and confining, but he found that it added to his professionalism. He grabbed his glasses from the night stand, putting them on gingerly before running a hand through his messy brown hair, deep blue eyes scanning his room for anything he'd missed. Seeing nothing, he left the small apartment in which he stayed. It wasn't what he could afford, but it suited his needs. Small and efficient and it let him get by. It was all he cared about really. Who did he have to impress? He hadn't really cared for any of the city girls like he thought he would. New fun and interesting things for him to explore, but they really weren't all that interesting. Not like her.

He remembered Grace from the orphanage. A secret that the nuns kept hidden, but one he found after a bit of perseverence. He had found his way to the backrooms where she was stored and...found her. By herself. He'd fallen in love with her shortly thereafter. Her golden blond hair, bright blue eyes. Not to mention her figure. It was something most girls would crave to have, but she achieved it naturally. In essence, he thought she was beautiful. It was sad when he had to leave her, turning eighteen. But it was necessary for him to move on with his life. She said she would find him...her eighteenth birthday was two years ago, though. He highly doubted the fact that she'd be looking for him at this point. It disappointed him, but he supposed it was for the best. She wouldn't have returned his feelings anyway. He was her best friend, nothing more.

As he made it across town on bike, he arrived early at the office of the news building he worked at. He was usually early, but it didn't bother him. Nothing else to do. He may as well arrive a little early. Unknown to him, though, today would be different than the usual tedious stories he'd have to go report. There was something bigger happening today and, with just a little luck, he might manage to find something worth reporting.

A young woman sighed softly, wrapped up in sheets and blue blankets. Sunlight had already spilled into her bedroom, lighting up the room and waking her little feathered friends. They began to tweet in their cage, singing a sweet melody that slowly raised the woman from her slumber. She yawned, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. Her body relaxed with a soft groan and she scratched her stomach, her eyes taking a few blinks to finally open. She smiled at the tweeting birds, and stepped out of bed. Ah, there was something else she needed to stretch.

Large wings stretched out from her back, protruding from her skin beside her shoulder blades. They reached up, the tips of her feathers brushing the ceiling before she ruffled them and they folded against her back once more. They were a soft eggshell white, speckled with brown and black spots. They twitched a bit as she came over to her bird cage. “Good morning…” She whispered to the curious birds as she smiled, and got them their food.

She stretched once more as she walked towards her dresser. Today was an important day, she had finally found Will. Or, at least, she hoped it was him. It had taken her nearly two years to find him. The city was just so large, she hadn’t expected it. It was so different from their home. It didn’t help that he didn’t stay in touch with the orphanage at all, so she was left with barely any information on how to find him. She slowly changed out of her pajamas, carefully making sure her wings didn’t get caught on her tank top. Grace threw on a new shirt, and jeans then grabbed a large sweater that she would wear later. She walked out into her kitchen and smiled more as she grabbed a cup of coffee. She looked out of the large windows of her penthouse apartment. Grace had made sure to get the very top floor, the utmost privacy she could buy with her newly gained inheritance. She smiled seeing the bright blue sky, tonight she’d be sure to take a flight, and not just for her voluntary job.

She finished her coffee, setting the mug in the dishwater, and then she got ready to leave. Her wings tucked tightly against her back as she pulled on her large sweater and then her jacket. She left the apartment and found her way to the stairs, walking cheerfully down the steps. She hated being caged into anything, elevators, or even cars. It felt too constricting. Grace cheerfully bid the doorman a good morning before she headed on her way to the Times, where hopefully it was her William that worked as a reporter there.

Grace walked at a good clip, only stopping to check out some newsstands. A picture on the front page, of a dark winged person in the shadows caught her attention. She gave a shy smile, before walking on, keeping her thoughts on seeing William again. Finally she found the large skyscraper. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Silently she prayed for God’s grace, hoping that this was it. She placed her fingers on her forehead, heart and shoulders; in the sign of the cross before opening the door and walking in.

Grace looked around at the bright lobby, newspapers and esteemed writing awards framed on the walls. “He works here…?” She mumbled to herself before walking up to the receptionist. “Ah…E-Excuse me, d-does William Young w-work here?” She tried her best not to stutter, a blush already creeping across her face. The receptionist didn’t give her the time of day, flipping through a magazine as she said, “Fifth floor.”

“T-Thank you…” Grace fidgeted a little and bowed her head in thanks. “A-Are there stairs?” The receptionist pointed to a door, and Grace mumbled her thanks once more before rushing towards it. She opened the door and looked up at the winding stair case. This was it. Grace took a deep breath and hurried up the staircase till she found herself face to face with a door labeled with a giant ‘5’. She paused, encouraging herself before she opened it and found herself in an office layout. Some desks here and there, but most were empty, still too early for some of the writers to file in. A woman was setting up her things, and Grace nervously came closer. “Ah…Ah…Excuse me…is William Y-Young here?” The woman looked at her and smiled kindly as she said. “The desk by the window.”

Grace nodded and looked over to where the woman mentioned. Her heart stopped, seeing a young man typing away on his laptop. It had been five years since she had last seen him, but it was definitely Will, she could just tell. Slowly she came closer, holding her breath once more, but he didn’t seem to notice her presence. “W-Will?” She asked softly, hoping he would look at her.

Will had been given his assignments and continued to work diligently, researching what he had to. There had been a rise in criminal activity lately and the Times wanted him to report on it. This was the first big new story he'd been given since joining them and he was thrilled. But that just meant he had to do a lot more to show his talent as a reporter. He'd give them the best damn story they could ask for.

Which is what brought him to the websites that most would usually steer away from. There were rumors in the underworld that a few different things were going on. Power imbalances between gangs. Fight rings. Unexplained disasters. Some of them bordered on the lines of supernatural. A fire started in a house from the outside. When firemen came, it appeared that a hole had been blasted in the roof from where the fire spread. Another instance showed a car overturned in the wake of a fight between opposing gangs. It seemed the gangs had been gathering better equipment for the wars with each other.

Though, the reporter thought differently. Ordinary weaponry couldn't do that. And, given what he'd seen, he was more likely to believe something more powerful than an ordinary human contraption was at work in these wars. So intrigued by his thoughts, he almost ignored Grace when she called his name. After a moment, though, he turned his attention away from the laptop, looking up. "Yes...?" he asked, a slow drawl as he was coming back into reality from his former, more obscure thoughts..

That's when his mind went blank. Grace? She was here? It had been two years. He gave up hope on her actually coming to find him. Then again, it was a big city. She'd have to search a bit for her to find him. And it wasn't like he had any huge stories yet with the paper. But, at seeing her, he broke out into a wide smile, getting up from his desk quickly. It might have been odd, considering he hadn't seen her in a long while...but he'd recognize her anywhere. "Grace," he said, his voice warm and clearly happy at seeing her. "It's been a long time."

Grace’s lips broke into an even brighter smile as he looked up and recognized her. She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her, as she immediately hugged him tightly, wrapping her skinny arms tightly around his waist. But she quickly flushed and let go of him, having forgotten where they were. She looked up at him, taking in his face, her eyes searching and seeing the differences age had brought upon him. He looked so mature now, his jaw lean and sharp, and dark blue eyes hidden behind his glasses. His brown hair had grown out a bit, turning a little shaggy and unruly but it suited him. Even so, he was still her William, the same posture and the same smile. “Ah…y-yes…It’s been so long!” Grace said happily, clasping her hands to her chest. “H-How are you? W-Where are you living? Do you like it here? It took me so long to find you again! I’ve missed you!” She bombarded him with questions, her sky blue eyes bright with happiness and curiosity, eager to hear all about him.

Will was about to answer, but paused, looking back at his laptop. He still had his job to do. It wasn't the best of times to be catching up. But he could always talk with her as he walked to his first story. He closed the laptop, not wanting her to see what he was looking up. She always had a bright outlook on life. It wouldn't be he who tainted that view with what really went on in the city. Though, he was sure she would find out sooner or later, if she hadn't already.

He went about putting his stuff away, packing away his laptop into his bag and gathering his notepad and pen for the stories he'd have to go report on. With everything together, he slung the bag over his shoulder and gestured towards the door. "I have to start heading out anyway. We'll catch up as we walk," he offered, leading her away from his desk and towards the stairway. He only paused long enough to inform the receptionist on the fifth floor that he was heading out before leading her out of the building entirely.

Once they were out, he looked back at her, smiling a bit as he regarded her. "You're just the same as I rememer you," he said with a small laugh. He put his hand on the small of her back, turning her to lead her down the sidewalk with him. "I'm doing alright, though. Busy, as you can see. But it's good to see you again. I was worried you'd forget about me after so long." He grinned a bit, scratching the back of his head. "You did say you'd find me, though. Once you were old enough to leave. How do you like the city so far? It's not as secluded as that orphanage was." He knew what went on in the city. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was hoping Grace had avoided that so far, though. She was always so optimistic and happy. He wouldn't have wanted anything to ruin that for her.

Grace looked aghast that he would even think she would have forgotten him. “Of course I haven’t forgotten about you! I could never forget you!” She smiled once more, and tucked a piece of her wild blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re the reason I moved here, I was so excited to see you again! I-It took me forever to t-try and find you though. You never kept in touch with Sister Irene, s-so I had to look on my own. B-But I love the city! It’s s-so noisy and full of action, th-there’s always something going on.” She smiled brightly. “Y-You get to meet all kinds of people, there’s just, such a life to the city.” She looked at him, happiness rolling off her in waves.

Most of her life was spent hidden away from others. It was for good measure, it was still unknown how people would treat her if they knew of her wings. Even her only friend William, still didn’t know of her secret beneath her jacket and sweater. But here, she was at least able to interact with people. She was able to make friends, and experience new things, as long as she was careful. She was also able to make a difference in the darkness that dwelled within the city.

Grace pressed closer to William as they started walking on a busier sidewalk. “W-What about you? You’ve been g-gone for five whole years.” She smiled at him again. “H-How is your job? Do you like it? How do you like the city? Have you made any new friends? Did you think of us at all? Did you miss me as well?” She was excited again, rapidly asking questions.

Color rushed into Will's face as Grace pressed a little closer to him, their arms brushing together as they walked now. It was only slight contact, but enough to embarrass him. He still liked her as much as he had in the orphanage. That much was clear to him. He smiled all the same, fighting down the blush that had tinted his cheeks. "Of course I missed you," he said. "How wouldn't I miss the one person I became friends with at the orphanage?" It came out teasing, but it was true. He got along with everyone there, but he slowly grew apart. As the two had talked, he began to visit her and spend more time with her than he had when he first met her. Eventually, she was the only part of his day, including her on his curious adventures around the orphanage.

He glanced around as they reached the corner, continuing down the block towards where his first story would be. "I've liked the job. Not much has happened, though I'm hoping to be getting a few bigger stories soon enough. No new friends or anything, though," he explained, trying to answer all her questions. He grinned a bit after a moment, though. "The only one I really missed was you. I didn't care much for the strictness of the nuns or Mother Irene. Just wish I could have kept in contact with you." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Grace flushed with happiness, her big smile somehow turning even brighter. “I’ve missed you too! B-But you know you should have kept in contact with Mother Irene, y-you know how she worries.” Grace giggled softly, remembering the old woman with fondness. “Th-The next letter I write, I’ll be sure to tell her how you’re doing.”

She held onto Will’s arm as they quickly crossed a busy street. “So you like y-your job? Y-You’ve always liked exploring and investigating things.” She looked up at him happily, but it faded a little. “I-I’m a little sad, you h-haven’t made any friends though. Not even your coworkers?”

Will paused at that. He remembered the woman, but not with fondness. He remembered being scolded for talking to Grace. She had to be kept hidden from the public, right? Well, he refused to give up. They eventually relented that Grace needed friends. But they still were apprehensive with him, for whatever reason. He didn't care much, it left a bad taste in his mouth, though. At her question, though, he laughed a bit. "No, they're mostly co-workers. I don't make friends easily, if you remember," he said with a small grin. "Too adventurous for them." He shrugged. "Most co-workers don't like my ambition. Most other people are put off by my attitude. But it doesn't matter. You're here, right? I don't need any other friends." Though, he wished they could be more than friends. He wouldn't tell her that, though. She only saw him as such and he would continue to be what she wished him to be.

Although greatly happy to be considered as such an important friend to William, Grace was a bit sad that others didn’t see the good in her friend like she did. “T-That’s too b-bad though.” Grace frowned a little. “I-I’m sure if they got to know you better, they’d see just how great you are!” She was excited again, and overly happy. “I’m sure many people like to go on adventures too!” She smiled brightly at him, but then looked around as they walked. She realized she hadn’t been to this side of town before. “Where are we going?” She asked curiously, looking at him with bright eyes.