Prologue: Goodbye, My Mundane Life

3 Years before main storyline

The day began as it normally did, the people of the town going about their business. There were people working, mothers cleaning, children playing, life was normal. It was especially normal for a girl about 15 years old. She and her mom had just gone out to the market to pick up supplies for dinner when she noticed them, a man in a dark uniform with a rose cross on his uniform, and a boy, in a similar uniform next to him. The boy looked to be about the same age and height as her, but she noticed something strange about him...

"Mom, why is that boy carrying a sword?" The girl asked innocently. Although it wasn't meant to be a secret, she was rather surprised when the boy whirled to face her, glaring angrily as if she'd just slapped him or something.

"What don't you just mind your own business brat?" He snarled. The girl was dumb struck, unsure of how to respond to something like that. Finally she replied with an obvious amount of distaste in her voice.

"Back off will ya? I was just curious is all, no need to bite my head off." Both of their guardians seemed unaware of the argument the two were having, instead they were (coincidentally) looking at fruits at the same stand and had struck up a conversation with the kind looking man.

"What the hell would your mom know about it anyway," he scoffed, "it's not like either one of you have any right to know why the hell I'm here in this stupid town. So as I said before, mind your own business, brat!"

"Would you quit calling me a brat? We're the same age! And don't insult the town your picking up supplies from, traveller! Besides, it's a reflex to ask my mom okay? So sue me!"

"Maybe you should stop relying on you mommy for everything and think for yourself, you spineless shrimp!"

"Who you calling a shrimp? We're the same height you ill-tempered bas-"

"Angela!" A shocked female voice cried. The girl rolled her eyes. Of course she would get called out by her mother, not the short-tempered brat who actually started the whole ordeal. As a hand grabbed her upper arm, she looked up into the stern face of her mother and could tell that she was in major trouble later for this.

"I'm so sorry about all of this, normally she wouldn't be so rude. Now apologize to the boy sweetie." The words were said with such venom that any thought of pleading her case flew away with the wind.

"I'm sorry for being so rude," she muttered. The kid scoffed and glared at the her, not seeming to register her apology.

"Now, now, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Yu here has a bit of a temper I know, so please try to forgive him." The man said. At least one of the two were seemed sane.

"None the less, she should know better than to act that way around our guests."

"WHAT!" Both kids blurted at once.

"Yes Yu, this woman has kindly opened her home to us for the night.

"WE WHAT!" Angela uncharacteristically shouted at her mother. She knew she was going to be scolded, and her knees were going to bleed after being made to kneel on rock salt for a few hours, but right now, all her manners had deserted her when the thought of sharing a roof with that blue-haired jerk for a whole night.

"Angie, keep your voice down and help me carry these groceries back home. Now, I expect you to behave yourself." Her mother ordered. Angie had so many sharp replies on her mouth, but the look and tone in her mother's voice kept her mouth shut. One of these days she was going to be heard goddamnit. As frustrating as it was, Angela shut up and did as she was told.

The walk home was lively for the adults, as they chatted with one another, but both had eventually learned better than to try to make the two get along. Whenever they tried to get the two to interact with one another, Angela (As much as she loathed doing it) made genuine efforts to make friends with Yu, but all her efforts got her were a 'che', a glare, and every now and then him reaching for his sword, which was normally when the man he was traveling with would step in.

Needless to say it was a relief when they got to the house. That is until her mother told her to show the two 'gentlemen' (ha! Yu? Gentle, it's like calling a python friendly!), to their rooms. When she asked about 'rooms' since they only had one guest room, to her absolute delight(note the sarcasm), she learned that she was giving up her room to Yu. She was going to snap when he said that he didn't want to sleep in her bed and risk 'catching her stupidity'.

Finally that was the last straw for her. Angela didn't care if they had to amputate her knees off for sitting on friggin' fire ants, she had to vent goddammit!

"LISTEN HERE YOU UNGRATEFUL, ILL-TEMPERED, SPOILED BASTARD! WHAT THE FUCK DID I EVER DO TO YOU TO GET SUCH A REACTION HM? I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHY A SWORD WIELDING SOCIOPATH HATES ME WHEN MY FAMILY IS OFFERING HOSPITALITY TO SUCH AN UNGRATEFUL, VINDICTIVE...THING! WHY I SHOULD TAKE THAT SWORD OF YOURS AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR PAMPERED FUCKING ASSHO-" An open palm connected solidly with her face, and her rant was stopped. With fury in her eyes, she turned to face the enraged eyes of her mother, but instead of submitting to that glare, she returned it with one of her own.

"Angela Marie Wilson, you will apologize to this young man right now for your rude behavior, then follow me to the kitchen and-"

"SCREW YOU TOO MOTHER DEAREST!" She screamed angrily. She didn't know what had come over her but by god did she feel good. And since she was already about 30 feet under, she had nothing to lose. "You never let me have an opinion of my own and if you don't like what I say, I kneel on rock salt until my knees bleed and I have to apologize to you for speaking my goddamed mind. Now for once in my fucking life I will be heard. And I don't give a rat's ass about what you have to say about it!"

As her fury increased, she felt something building inside of her, a kind of energy that she wanted to release. She wanted to just scream her head off until the feeling wen away, but for now, telling off the two people who piss her off most was doing quite nicely. Something in the man's jacket began to glow, and as he looked, a green ball of light was shining brightly, resonating with the girl's growing anger. In fact, she was so into the moment, she didn't even notice several things beginning to crack in the room, or the floorboards groaning...

"YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THINGS, TO BE OPEN WITH YOU BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE YOU SEEM TO LOATHE EVERYTHING THAT MAKES ME ME!"

"LISTEN HERE YOUNG LADY WE WILL HAVE THIS DISCUSSION LATER-"

"I SAID SHUT UP GODDAMNIT! I REFUSE TO LET YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE ANYMORE! BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT YOU NEVER LET ME DO ANYTHING FOR MYSELF, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF OPINIONS I HAVE UNLESS I'M IN A FIT OF RAGE!" The objects shattered, under the weight of the steadily increasing pressure in the room, her mother noticeably began to have trouble breathing, and even Yu and the man in the room were struggling under the weight.

"Oi! Calm down already-" Yu tried to say but Angela would not hear it.

"I CAN'T FORM OPINIONS ANYMORE! I CAN'T THINK FOR MYSELF ANYMORE! DO YOU KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING THAT IS? DO YOU KNOW HOW...HOW...INFURIATING IT IS TO NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE FEAR OF IT NOT PLEASING YOU! I ALWAYS GIVE MY ALL BUT I ALWAYS FALL SHORT! NOW I'M AFRAID OF NEVER BEING GOOD ENOUGH OF BEING REJECTED BY THE WORLD I'M TOTALLY DEPENDANT ON YOU AND I CAN'T STAND IT. I'M NOT PERFECT, AND YOU ALWAYS LET ME KNOW THAT! YOU ALWAYS PUT ME DOWN AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING I SHINE IN ANYMORE!" Several cracks in the wall and floor started to appear.

"I...I...I feel like shit. I'm never good enough, everyone's better than me. Do you know how frustrating it is to be compared to your best friend? Your cousin? Your dead older brothers that didn't live past birth!" Angela whispered. the pressure suddenly vanished and all that was left was the shaking figure of Angela.

"I feel like an empty shell, I feel like I'll never amount to anything, and I'm afraid to try anymore. Everything I do is wrong in your eyes and I'm sick of it. There's nothing I can do about it and I'm afraid to just run away and try to make something of my life like I've always dreamed. You make me feel like a bug. I am nothing, and that's all I'll ever be...nothing. You happy now mom? Happy to finally know how I feel, because damn do I feel good that's off my chest, but now that I don't even have my pent up feelings anymore, I truly am empty. You want to sit me in a corner on pebbles now? Cause really, I don't give a fuck anymore," She said in an eerily calm voice. "No? Well, I think I'll go outside and see how cherry's doing." And with that she exited the building.

As Angela, she didn't see the look of pain and guilt in her mother's eyes, nor the look of concern and surprise in Tiedoll's as he looked from her, to the innocence in his hand, to the destruction of the now unstable home.

But something all four of them took notice of right away was the crowd of people outside, and it was impossible to miss the way they shed their skins to reveal egg-like creatures this canons pointed directly at Angela and her home...

Then empty look in her eyes quickly turned to fear as the monsters before her got ready to fire...when a black figure sped past her and leaped high into the air, sword at the ready.

"First illusion, Hell's Insects!" He shouted. Multiple bug like creatures sprouted from his sword, attacking the creatures and destroying them , while he cleaved the rest of them in half with his sword mercilessly. Her mother was suddenly at her side, pulling on her arm, trying to get her to stand and run to the little 'safety' the house could provide. She wouldn't have gone even if she was in her right mind, it was safer out here in her opinion. But her body was locked in place, legs folded uselessly underneath her body. One of the creatures that Kanda had not yet gotten to took aim at Angela and her mother and fired. She could hear Tiedoll giving some kind of command, but a glowing green sphere beat him to it.

Words echoed in the back of Angela's mind, as time seemed to slow down. The Akuma's bullets moving in slow motion, her mother pulling her into her arms in an attempt to protect her only child, and as Angela reached for the sphere that seemed to call out to her, two words left her lips without her thinking about it.

"Innocence, activate." As time slowly started to return to it's normal pace, Angela suddenly knew what to do without really knowing.

"Repel!" She ordered. Suddenly the bullets stopped and flew away from Angela and her mother in random directions. The Akuma approached, getting ready to attempt the attack again, and Angela gave another order.

"Implode." Suddenly, the Akuma stopped it's progression, and several dents in it's body appearing before it exploded all together. In the time it had taken for her to deal with that one Akuma and thoroughly exhaust herself, Kanda had already finished off the rest of them. He turned to Angela and her mother, who were both struck dumb by the events that had just unfolded before them, the look on his face was unreadable as he spoke.

"You see what you just did?" He asked. Angela couldn't answer, still too shocked to do so. But Kanda continued regardless. "You have a power that very few on this planet have. So instead of complaining about your life and feeling sorry for yourself, take that power and make something out of your life," he said coolly. She didn't like the tone in which that he had said it, but as she stared at the glowing green cube that was humming in her hands, she knew he was right. This was her chance to escape and become someone she could finally be proud of.

"You know," the man said, suddenly appearing beside Angela and herself, "despite Yu's tone about it, he is right in a way. What you hold there is known as Innocence. It's the only substance in the world that can be used to destroy Akuma, those monsters that just attacked you. They were after the innocence to bring back to our enemy, the Millennium Earl. If you join us, we could very much use that power of yours to help us win this war we're fighting." That snapped her mother out of her stupor.

"War?" She asked horrified.

"I'll do it." Angela answered with absolute certainty. Although she was scared witless and had no idea what she was agreeing to, she had a feeling that this was where she was meant to be. That glowing cube in her hands was proof apparently.

"Now you hold on a minute you lady. You can't just march off into war!"

"Mom, this is not your choice, you don't have a say in it. Heck, I'm not even sure if I have a say in it. But I think the urge to finally do something on my terms is driving me to say yes."

"I'm afraid she's right. I would be best if she came willingly and of her own will. If the Order was to find out about her, they would come for her eventually...whether she liked it or not," the man said gently.

"Then...then take me instead! I can't lose my baby girl! I refuse to see her hurt," her mom pleaded.

"Not a chance," Kanda scoffed, "the innocence didn't choose you, so it won't synchronize with you."

"Mom, it's fine." Angela said. "I promise I won't die," Kanda scoffed again, but she ignored him, "and as soon as the war's won, I'll be back. I promise, I'm going to make you proud." Her mother clasped her face in her hands and whispered something to her.

"I've always, always, always been proud of you. You are my perfect little girl. I'm sorry I ever made you feel differently. I don't think there's anyway out of this so...I guess this'll be our last night together huh?" Angela nodded sullenly, suddenly feeling guilty about what she had said earlier.

"Well, I suppose we should go inside now hm?" the man said. They all nodded and began going inside when Angela remembered something important. Turning quickly around she let out a long high-pitched whistle, before falling into a short song. She waited for several minutes, and both Kanda and Tiedoll were confused as to what she was doing, that is until a small red blurr came from seemingly out of nowhere and landed on Angela's open palms.

"What," Kanda asked seemingly disgusted, "is that?"

"She," Angela corrected. "Is a red cardinal. Her name is Cherry." Her mom came out of the house several minutes later with a stale loaf of bread. As Angela tore off pieces to feed to the bird, her mother explained the story behind Cherry.

"Angela found the little thing underneath a fallen tree when it was just a little hatchling after a storm one day. Came home cryin' about how she wanted to save it and how could I say no to that face? So we helped it get to full health, and although it took a lot of work, I eventually got her to let the little thing go. But funny thing is, is came back! Day after day it came back, and even when we didn't give it food for weeks on end, it just kept coming! Eventually Angie taught it a song, the one she whistled to it earlier and now that's their little signal to one another."

Angela whirled around to face the two exorcists before her.

"Can Cherry come too?"

"No," Kanda answered at the same time Tiedoll said:

"Of course." Angela let out a whoop of joy before turning in several circles with the little bird that made her mother dizzy by just watching.

"You hear that Cherry? Mr...Mr...uh...I'm sorry," Angela said sheepishly, "I only caught Yu's-"

"You don't ever call me that again if you value your tongue." He snapped.

"Then what do I call you? Grump? That's fine with me!"

"The name's Kanda."

"Fine! I'm sorry sir, I only caught Kanda's name. What might yours be?" The man chuckled lightly.

"I'm General Froi Tiedoll."

"Mr. General Froi Tiedoll said that you could come with me to...to..." She once again looked to the man in glasses, silently pleading for him to finish her incomplete thought.

"The European Branch headquarters would be the closest one to us. That's one of the Dark Order's headquarters."

"The European Branch of the Dark Order!"

"Great, another annoying person..." Kanda muttered. Angela easily ignored him and followed her mother inside of the house after releasing the little red bird.

"So, General Tiedoll," Angela's mother asked as they ate dinner, "Exactly what has my daughter been signed up to. You call yourselves 'exorcists' and you're at war with what? Demons? Those egg-like creatures that attacked today? And wouldn't my baby girl be in even more danger if she wore that uniform that pegs her as those thing's enemy?"

"You ask too many questions lady." Kanda said.

"Now, now, Yu. I believe they both have a right to know exactly how dangerous this is. You see, honestly, as much as I hate having to bring children into the fray, we need as many exorcists as we can to fight the Millennium Earl, the person who makes those weapons out of suffering human souls. In fact, Angela here wouldn't be the youngest one there, and anyone affiliated with the order is at risk of dying for this cause."

"So don't force children to fight in this war-"

"But we don't have that luxury madam. You see, just as we exorcists collect and use innocence to fight the Earl, he collects and destroys the innocence, which is our only means of defeating him."

'So why don't you train people to use the innocence you do have and then give it to them?"

"We train whomever the innocence chooses. The innocence is a substance with a will of it's own, and only has one compatible user. In this case, Angela is the only person who can wield the one piece of innocence that chose her. And as much as I'd like for her to fully mature and live her life to the fullest, honestly, I wish this war didn't exist at all. But it does and Angela can help put an end to it."

"I see..." her mother said, obviously unhappy with this, but understood it was beyond her control.

"Hey, I promise to visit whenever I can mom," Angela said in an attempt to lift her spirits.

"Yeah," Kanda snorted, "right."

"Actually, it's also forbidden for exorcists to visit their families...you see it's also a risk factor for the family members visited. They may become targets of the Earl. It's an exorcist's final duty to simply...disappear. We are nameless, faceless soldiers for the order and in order to prevent more akuma from being born, the families aren't even allowed to know if their relative dies in this war. I'm sorry, but that is the way it is," General Tiedoll said.

Angela fell silent as both she and her mother picked at their food while lost in thought. Why did it feel to Angela all of a sudden that, instead of being released from her cage into open horizons, she was being placed into an even smaller one?

"Well, her mother said, suddenly sounding chipper and excited. "Is everybody finished? Alrighty then, I'll run the baths and prepare the beds. Angela dear, would you care to help me?" Angela stood up wordlessly and helped prepare the beds and baths after washing the dishes.

"Hey mom, I'm going to call Nicole before bed and tell her the news I guess..." Her mother, although doubtful let her do so. The phone rang a couple of times, and Angela prayed that her friend would pick up her phone this time around.

"Hello?" Angela was too happy for words, but at the same time, she suddenly found herself getting choked up. How could she tell her best friend of 15 years that she was leaving for a war that she just found about? How could she say that all of their fun times would be coming to an end and that they weren't allowed to see one another for god knows how long.

"Hello? Angie? That you?"

"U-uh yeah, it's me."

"What's up? You sound kinda bothered by something. Is anything wrong?" 'Yes,' Angela thought. 'Everything is wrong! I can never see you again, I'm marching off to a war I'm probably not going to survive and I can't speak to you again after this.' That's what she so longed to say. But then she imagined her blonde friend, her hazel colored eyes and how happy they'd be. She couldn't stand the image that followed, the image of confusion, sadness, filling those same beautiful eyes. But could she just tell her nothing? They'd told each other everything even things they didn't tell their parents about. Wouldn't that be a kind of betrayal?

"Angie? It's late you know, if this another one of those weird jokes of yours..."

"Nah," Angie said, using that carefree voice her friend knew her for. "I just wanted to call and tell you that...that...I don't think I can make it to your party tomorrow. I'm really sorry, but I'll have my mom bring the gift by for me,okay?"

"Uh sure, but why? Are you sick? I could come over and-"

"No, no, I...I just can't really explain. I just wanted to tell you that. Oh and Nikki?"

"Yeah..." there was a worried edge to her friend's voice now, she knew Angela was keeping something big from her, and the fact that she didn't know was scary for someone who'd always been able to read her like a book.

"You're the best friend a girl could ever have. I'm really happy that you're my one and only best friend. You're the sister I never had, and I just wanted you to know that."

"You too Angie. But why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

"No reason, just to you know say it."

"Okay...well...talk to you tomorrow?"

"Talk to you later," hopefully. "Oh and Happy Birthday, Nikki."

"ANG-" But Angela had already hung up. At least she had said everything she wanted to. But she heard that frightened tone in her friend's voice. Nikki knew something was horribly wrong but she could do nothing about it. Neither of them could.

"You didn't tell her?" Came a gruff voice.

"I...couldn't. It would be best if she didn't know. But I think my mom might wind up cracking under the pressure Nikki might put on her and spill everything tomorrow afternoon. But we'll be long gone by then, won't we?" He nodded once before going back upstairs. Angela made her way over to her mom's room, where the woman in question was dressed for bed.

"Angie, sweetie, why are you crying?"Angela didn't even notice that she had in fact, started crying. Suddenly she burst into a fit of uncontrolled tears and cried into her mother's chest. She felt her mom's tears seep into her own hair as she held Angela, for what might possibly be, the last time. After they had both calmed down a bit, Angela did something she hadn't done in years; she asked if she could sleep with her mom.

"Of course, hun." They both held close to one another as they shared their final night together, and although everything was silent, neither one of them slept.

AN: HELLO LOVES~ Kjfungirl is here with her very first DGM Fic! Please be gentle. I've been following the manga and watched the anime 3 times, and finally inspiration finally came to me! :D I love DGM soooo friggin much! So as the thing says, this isn't the official story. It's a prequel to a story I already have planned that follows the main story line. This story will revolve around the three years Angela's in the Order with Kanda, Lenalee, Komui, the Science division, and Lavi before Allen joins. When I catch up to the main story line where Allen joins, that will be the end of this fic and the start of the actual story. Same characters and all, but even though it more or less starts in this once, the REAL story that follows the anime (yeah, I like following the anime up until the point where they just stop the series with the whole leave it to your imagination ending because the producer died. Rest in peace dude) and the manga after a while. So read, rate comment. That's all for now! Kjfungirl out! Peace loves~