It all started one breezy afternoon. The last class for the day had just ended and the crowd of students began to empty the class, one by one or together. Misaki Suzuhara was waiting for her friend, Kotaro, to finish packing his bag. They would walk together to her house to watch a movie. Misaki blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time today.
The plan was supposed to include three people, including the one who proposed the idea, Tamayo. She, in her usual high-energy way of doing things, threw the idea randomly a couple days ago. After some hesitation, Misaki had agreed to be the host. Tamayo would bring the DVD and Kotaro the snacks.
Yet today, right after the bell indicating the end of classes rang, Tamayo hurriedly ran to Misaki's seat – knocking over several students on her way - and apologized profusely.
"Sorry! I don't feel well today! Here's the DVD! You and Kotaro should watch it together!"
Before Misaki could blink, Tamayo had already run out. No sick people could run like that, Misaki had thought. When told about it, Kotaro had just sighed.
"That Tamayo! I'll get her tomorrow!" he said, blushing.
After Kotaro was prepared to go, the couple left the school together. Along the way, neither of them talked very much. Before long, they arrived at Misaki's house.
"P-Please come in. Shouko is busy today, so she will probably come home late," explained Misaki.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
Misaki hesitated for just a second, before stammering an answer.
"Of course! Make yourself at home!"
Misaki had prepared the living room with Shouko's help. It was squeaky clean with comfortable cushions set up in front of the TV. Kotaro took out the snacks – biscuits, senbei, chocolate, and cans of juice and soda – and put them on the table as Misaki put in the DVD. Misaki then settled down on one end of the couch, hugging a cushion to partially hide her blushing face. Kotaro took the other end, also blushing profusely.
Thankfully, all awkwardness dissipated when the movie started. It was a well-made action film about a Deus trying to become an Angelic Layer champion despite the hardships she endured. Her Angel was built for counter attacks, catching and dodging enemy's attacks to hit them back.
"That move was amazing!" said Kotaro, bright-eyed and rife with enthusiasm.
"It really was! I wonder if Hikaru could do it!" agreed Misaki, just as awed.
The movie went on with the couple getting even more worked up with each new technique shown. The credits rolled and they found themselves slightly exhausted, with both the bags of snacks and canned drinks opened and emptied. Still happily praising the movie, Misaki began to clean the table with Kotaro's help. When she was about to reach for an empty can of soda, her hand touched Kotaro's. She quickly retracted her hand as Kotaro did the same.
"S-sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry."
Kotaro's hand felt firm and warm, Misaki thought. She shook her head. Feeling embarrassed at herself, she continued to clean. However, she noticed that Kotaro was still unmoving. He was watching Misaki with a thoughtful look.
"Kotaro? Is there something on my face?" asked Misaki. She instinctively put her hands on her face.
"No, it's just…" Kotaro stopped for a couple second. Misaki waited, tilting her head to one side.
"It's just…?"
"Misaki, can I say something to you?"
Misaki's heart stopped a beat. She could hardly dare to guess what was in Kotaro's mind. She finally squeaked an answer.
"Okay."
"Listen, Misaki, I…I…" Kotaro stammered. His eyes were directly looking at Misaki's, reflecting her dazzled gaze. She could not look away.
"I want to…get into Angelic Layer."
"Oh!" Misaki could not help but feel let down, as if she was only one move away from winning a match when the time ran out. But she managed to sound like her usual self when she answered.
"Of course! That's a wonderful idea. We'll see Icchan and-"
"But there's one thing," cut Kotaro, "I want you to be my Angel."
What was that?
"I don't think I can do it with any other angel. You are perfect, Misaki," said Kotaro, slowly placing his hand on Misaki's thigh. She shuddered but didn't move away.
Kotaro continued softly, "you are built sleek and athletic, Misaki, just like Hikaru. It's only your mind and experience limiting you."
"I…I…" Misaki didn't know what to say. She could hear and understand Kotaro's words but none of them made any sense.
"Please, Misaki?" Kotaro grasped both of Misaki's hands, holding them in his. He looked directly at Misaki once again, his gentle eyes pleading, "I've always wanted to do this with you."
With those words, it was clear that he was being earnest. Misaki finally understood and it was crystal clear that she could trust him like how he trusted her.
"If it's that important to you…of course I'll do it," said Misaki, smiling. Kotaro smiled back, even brighter.
"Thank you so much. It means a lot to me. Now we only need to contact Icchan."
"NO NEED FOR THAT!" a high-pitched yell came out of the ceiling. There were sounds of something heavy moving around and, with a thud, a man clad in a lab coat fell down face-first to the Suzuhara's living room.
"ICCHAN?!" yelped Misaki and Kotaro at the same time.
"It is I! The brilliant scientist and helper of young couples everywhere!" proclaimed Icchan loudly while gesturing dramatically, "and my assistant, Ogata!"
A younger man in a similar get-up jumped down from the ceiling, looking uncomfortable, "ah, excuse us for intruding."
"Since when were you there?!" asked Misaki.
"Since the very start, of course!" said Icchan. The eccentric engineer picked up one of the packs of snack still on the table and munched on what little was left inside of it.
"So, can you help us?" queried Kotaro, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Of course I can! And I will! Now, let's go to my lab! Ogata will finish up cleaning."
"What, sir?"
"No time to talk!"
Icchan dragged Misaki and Kotaro with him, leaving his unlucky assistant to clean the living room.
Icchan's peresonal laboratory was full of mechanical gizmos, computers, Angel Eggs, and Angel models. It was unbelievably messy, a chaotic jumble without any hint of order. It was tasking even to simply walk in the room. Icchan threw a stack of paper resting on a chair onto the floor.
"Sit there!" said Icchan, pushing Misaki's shoulders down. Kotaro stood next to her.
"Angels are obviously designed based on the human body. So we don't need to restructure your whole body. We just need to replace your muscle and skin with the composite material that Angels are made of and rewire your brain so it can receive the signals sent by the visor," said Icchan excitedly as if he was a kid in a candy store, "we could also try replacing your internal organs with Angel's energy fuel system but that would be harder. We should probably keep them."
Misaki's heart raced. Hearing those words awakened something in her. She felt warm, hot even. Hearing that her young body will be modified made her feel tingly. She gripped the chair's arms tighter.
"Will it hurt her?"
"No, of course not. We have something called anesthetics, you know."
"Umm…" said Misaki, putting her hand up.
"What is it?"
"I don't mind going without anesthetics."
Kotaro was surprised and looked at Misaki, "what are you saying?"
"It's okay! Really. I mean…if I will be an Angel, I should be prepared to handle fights and so on, right?"
"If you say so…" Kotaro held Misaki's hand, comforting her.
"Great! Now, I'll prepare the needed equipments. You should take a bath and maybe write a letter to Shouko. You won't be able to say anything afterwards. You'll be conscious all the time, your eyes, ears, nose, will work fine. But you won't be able to feel and control your body."
Hearing of what will happen to her made Misaki even more hot and bothered. Her breaths became faster. She could hardly wait.
Misaki went into Icchan's bathroom and took a good, long bath. It would be the last time she would be able to feel the touch of water on her skin. She tried her hardest to enjoy it, lathering herself clean. She did not forget to empty her bladders and bowels as best as she could, feeling every drop of urine and feces.
After she was finished, she put on a clean bathrobe, trying to etch into her mind how soft and fuzzy the cotton felt on her skin. Kotaro had been waiting outside with a pen and a few sheets of paper.
"Hey," greeted the boy, "Icchan said not to come in the lab yet, so you should write it over there."
"Okay."
Misaki and Kotaro went into the living room. She sat still for a couple minutes, trying to come up with words that will adequately tell Shouko of the gratitude and love she felt for taking care of her. It was hard to hold back her tears, but Misaki focused on the exciting future waiting for her. On the end of the letter, she made sure to tell Shouko not to look for her.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes. I hope she will understand."
"I bet she will. You wrote it with all your heart."
"Yes. Thank you," Misaki smiled.
Kotaro offered his hand. Misaki took it, now without neither pause nor hesitation, and they walked together into the lab. Icchan was standing in front of a human-sized cylinder. It had what vaguely looked like a cross in the middle and a wall of clear glass surrounding it. Ogata was also there, helping with the finishing touches.
"Ah! Good timing, I'm just about finished!" welcomed Icchan.
The couple took their spots once again. With his back turned on them and his hand busy with a screwdriver, Icchan explained the procedure that would be done to Misaki.
"First, we'll strap you to the stretcher in the middle. Then we'll fill the tube up to your neck with gypsum to make a mold of your body. Then we'll put metal plates to protect your organs. Afterwards, we'll fill the tube again with a special liquid that will clean your flesh off your bones, but it'll leave your organs safe and untouched."
Misaki could not sit still, knowing that her body will be defiled, destroyed, and rebuilt as an Angel. She moved her legs uncomfortably, feeling something below that only a woman could feel. It was highly confusing, yet pleasurable. Misaki had to put her hands over her mouth to suppress a moan.
Kotaro seemed to notice it but mistook it as her getting nervous. He braced Misaki's shoulders.
"Are you alright? It's still okay if you want to be sedated,"
Kotaro's warm embrace excited her. Misaki shook her head, "I'm okay."
Icchan continued while checking the mixture of gyps that was being stirred on another separate tank, "then we'll operate on your brain, putting the necessary components to control your brain via the visor and only the visor. You'll, well, lose your free will. We'll also have to make other adjustments like muting your vocal chords and so on."
Misaki jolted in her chair. She had never felt anything like the sweet pleasure pulsing through her body.
"Then, finally, we'll replace your face with the same material that would make up the rest of your body," finished Icchan. He stood up and yelled at Ogata.
"Ogata! Is everything ready?"
"Yessir!"
"Alright then, if anything goes wrong, we'll use your salary to cover the expenses," said Icchan, ignoring his assistant's protests. He then took a tripod lying on the floor and set it up in front of the tube.
"Misaki, you don't mind if we record the process, right? This will be a milestone in engineering. Of course, if you do mind just say so."
"No, I don't mind."
"Then, Suzuhara, please sign this paper," said Ogata, handing her a printed document, "it's a legal release that states that you are doing this on your own behalf with full knowledge and in good health."
Misaki signed the contract, barely even reading it. Ogata checked once more that everything was in order, "okay, we're ready whenever you are ready."
Misaki stood from her seat. She looked at Kotaro, who had a concerned but determined look on hi face, and gave him the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.
"I will be under your care from now on,"
"Misaki…"
Kotaro hugged Misaki, wrapping his body over hers. Misaki savored the moment, taking in how his body feels; the weight, the warmth, and the sensation of his breath on her side. Her Deus.
"I love you," he whispered, soft enough to only be heard by her.
"I love you too,"
It was a sweet eternity before they managed to finally release each other's embrace. Misaki was about to step into the tube when she suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Icchan, Ogata, thank you for doing this!" said Misaki, giving a slight bow.
"You're welcome."
"It's our pleasure," said Icchan with his rarely-seen genuine smile.
Misaki smiled in return and stepped into the tube.
Author note: If you'd like to read more, please tell me with reviews. Hope you enjoyed it!