A Year of Jubilee [The Death Note Fanfic]

Chapter 1

The streets of downtown Tokyo were always bustling with people—tourists, businessmen, vendors promoting their wares. Jubilee thought she might never get used to bumping shoulders with them on a day to day basis.

Then again, she had thought she would never get used to seeing angels and demons on a day to day basis, either.

Yet here she was, an American living in Japan, on her way out of the grocery store with a twelve-foot-tall angel gliding beside her.

Oh, there were other angelic beings drifting about the place as well. There always were. Some radiated a gentle light or brilliant colors; others, not so much. One particularly dark being, with blackness oozing off of itself in smoky wisps, rolled its way through the crowd, occasionally lingering over a particular person here or there.

Jubilee looked away. She had only recently started seeing more dark beings and wasn't quite as used to it yet.

Shifting the bag of groceries in her arms, she shouldered through a throng of people watching a street juggler. Dad, please let the train be late today, she thought to herself. She had picked up a cake as a treat for the kids back at the Wakahisa Children's Home, where she lived and worked, and was running behind schedule as a result. The little ones would throw a fit if she didn't make it back in time to have lunch with them as she had promised.

Miss Julie, little Meirin would be sure to say, You said you would be back ASAP, and this is not ASAP!

She had taught them that little American acronym during English lessons, and they had taken quite a liking to it. She'd also taken on the name of Julie since coming to Japan, since it was easier for the natives to pronounce...and because that was what they always thought her name was, anyway. She remembered her first time coming through customs, when they had asked for her name.

"Jubilee Jenkins," she had said.

The woman at the desk looked like she had been prepared for a challenge as soon as Jubilee's less than perfectly Japanese-looking face walked through the door. "Ju...lee?" she said.

Poor woman. She had tried so hard.

The same thing happened when she was getting photographed for her staff ID at Wakahisa.

"Julie?" said the man printing her ID for her.

She had sighed, giving in. "Sure. Yes."

Her reminiscing was interrupted as she suddenly tripped and was about to fall headlong, when a light touch at her elbow caught her and straightened her back up.

"Thanks," she murmured quietly, glancing at the angel beside her. He gave her a nod, withdrawing his hand. Briefly she wondered how her fall just now had looked to everyone else.

It looked like you stumbled and then caught yourself, said the angel with a shrug. That's what it always looks like to humans...even to themselves.

Except for me, since I'm blessed with eyes to see, eh? she thought silently, giving the angel a wink.

The angel sighed.

"What?" she whispered aloud out of the corner of her mouth as she continued to walk. "Don't you like being actually acknowledged, for once?"

Jubilee, said the angel sternly, If the Father wanted everything to be big and showy, then just now I would have levitated you in slow motion back to standing.

Jubilee thought to herself that such a display would be an improvement, as it would make her look a little more sane to everyone else.

That's your own fault, pointed out the angel. I've made it perfectly possible for you to be discreet. You're the one winking at thin air.