In honor of Angelic Layer, we present: Ichirou Mihara and Ogata in their very own fic! Seeing so many Misaki/Oujirou fics out there, we (plot bunnies and mad authoress) decided to dedicate on to the resident mad genius and his slav...er, research assistant.
Okay, we admit it is long. But it was fun to do; a fic on Ogata pondering the other side of his eccentricchief. May you guys have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
Enough with the serious stuff: Bring out your popcorn and settle in front of your computer, coz this is gonna take a while...in a good way.
By the way, if this looks cramped to you, blame this system of no double spacing. No double spacing, no fun.
I accept flames, sprays, rotten tomatoes, dead fish,popcorn thrown in my face, etc, etc, and a review or two would be nice, ehehe...
For The Sake of Genius
Long fingers rested gently on the master keyboard, buttons blinking brightly beneath them as they unerringly tapped out a complicated series of combinations without pausing. Frameless glasses glinted in the near-darkness as a finely-veined hand pushed up hair that was again falling into eyes that fairly sparkled with genius and well-being. The square jaw was tensed as they focused intently on the monitor that took up an entire wall of the control room, traveling along the digits that now and then would flash on the screen. Then, the head turned slightly.
"OGATA!"
There was a thump as Ogata Masaharu, assistant of the Research and Development Department of Piffle Princess and personal slave to Icchan flung himself into the room, landing in a heap in front of the giant monitor. Scrambling to his feet, he asked, "You called, Chief Icchan?"
"What's the current status report of our subject?"
Ogata consulted his notes, mysteriously pulled out of thin air. "The target is secured and making its way down to the base, Chief. Everything is still under control."
The hunched-over body at the control panel seemed to expand and grow until it filled the entire room. Somewhere at the other side of the world, lightning flashed, striking someone over the head and knocking him out cold. "What do you mean, still? IT IS ALWAYS UNDER CONTROL!"
Ogata visibly quaked in his shoes. "Ano…"
"BAATSU GAME! Run up and down the staircase twenty times in THIS!"
A frilly, lace-edged dress of the most violent shade of pink imaginable was produced and thrust into a visibly weeping Ogata's hands as he ran to the emergency exit and disappeared through it. Several sympathetic workers shook their heads, only to quickly jump back to work as Icchan glared around with the look that promised many, many unmentionables, each promising to be worse than the last.
Turning back to the screen, Icchan watched a tiny dot of what was unmistakably the town map as it moved down the 'street'. Left, right, right, right…
RIGHT?
Everyone jumped out of their seats as Icchan screamed, clutching at a console on which was printed 'TOUCH AT YOUR OWN PERIL' for support. Instantly, red lights began to flash and a siren that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere began to wail its widdoo mechanical lungs out. "RIGHT? RIGHT? NONONONONO…IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LEFT!"
Slamming his palms down on the keyboard, pressing several keys, one of which started up the age-old tune, 'London Bridge is Falling Down' that clashed horribly with the shrill alarm, he bellowed, "OGATA!"
A befrilled, panting Ogata burst in through the emergency exit, still bedecked in the offensive dress. "Chief?"
"COME WITH ME! WE HAVE A CODE RED!"
"But Chief Icchan…isn't code red a medical term for when someone's heart stops?"
"Baatsu game! Peel these pineapples with your teeth!" A hoard of prickly African pineapples, notorious for their particularly sharp thorns was deposited into Ogata's arms.
A mournful sigh escaped Ogata's lips. "But, Chief, I haven't finished running up and down the stairs yet!..."
"THEN RUN UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS WHILE PEELING THE PINEAPPLES!"
Weeping, Ogata ran through the door again.
"OGATA!"
The doors flew open to show Ogata yet again, a pineapple in his mouth. "Gniefff?"
"STOP MESSING AROUND AND FOLLOW ME!"
"But…the Baatsu game!..."
"You can do that later! RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A SITUATION TO FIX!" Seizing the unfortunate Ogata's arm, Icchan leapt straight out the window and disappeared, dress and all. For a moment, all was silent except for a loud 'Weeeeeeee…' which followed every long drop into oblivion. A lone pineapple lingered awhile in the air before submitting to the call of gravity.
Nobody moved. Then…
"Chief Mihara!"
"We're FIFTY STOREYS about ground level!..."
"Chief, I loved you so!..."
As the staff mass-panicked, no one noticed as the door slipped open to reveal Oujirou Mihara, blinking quizzically around at the chaos and mayhem. Tapping a invisible switchboard along the wall, he waited patiently until the alarms ceased and the flashing red lights retreated back into the walls. A tranquil, somewhat semblance of order descended.
"Now," Oujirou said, smiling calmly, "Would anyone be kind enough to explain what is going on?"
"Oujirou-san, we..."
"Chief Mihara..."
"Screaming...and..."
"Alarms..."
"PINEAPPLES..."
Miraculously, Oujirou proved to be thoroughly capable of deciphering the garbled words and frantically waving arms. "You say my ni-chan went out to investigate a glitch in his research and exited through that window?" gesturing at said window, glinting innocently in the sunlight.
Vigorous nods. Oujirou smiled serenely, a zen-like aura radiating off him.
"I see. Well then, you'd all better get on with your work; you know what ni-chan thinks about slacking."
The entire staff, with the exception of Oujirou shuddered at the thought of what their unpredictable boss would do should he suddenly jump through the window and come to the conclusion that they were slacking off. Images of man-eating sharks, red-bottomed baboons and wild savannah creatures that should be left in the savannah and not exported to Kanto quickly sent them back to their desks with an eagerness not seen since they were recruited to work for Piffle Princess.
Only a single staff lingered, looking troubled. "Oujirou-san?"
"Yes, Tatami-san?"
"Chief Mihara did jump out off the window...and you know we're quite high up...do you think?..."
Oujirou smiled cheerfully. "Not to worry, Tatami-san. I took the liberty of putting a trampoline right under that window before I entered. Ni-chan will be fine."
The staff sweatdropped.
Meanwhile...
Ogata crept along the bushes behind Icchan, his offending dress snagging the shrubs and small branches, causing small cracking sounds as he brushed them by.
" CAN'T YOU KEEP THAT IRRITATING NOISE DOWN? WE'RE ON A TOP-SECRET MISSION HERE!"
"Sorry chief...Ano...," gingerly lifting his skirts above his knees, "Is this really necessary?"
"OF COURSE IT'S NECESS-" Icchan lowered his voice as a group of students walked by, chattering cheefully. "-sary. Why do you think it has been given my utmost attention?"
"Still..."
"Baatsu game: Balance this fishbowl of man-eating piranhas on your HEAD for TWO HOURS!", said fish bowl placed into Ogata's hands, the piranhas looking less than happy and very, VERY vicious.
(At Piffle Princess Research lab, a staff member sneezed at his computer.)
A low moan came from Ogata. "But..."
"ANOTHER WORD AND I"LL MAKE YOU JUGGLE THEM!'" Icchan caught a glimpse of two women glancing surreptitiously at Ogata (and no wonder too). "WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?"
The two women hurried away, murmuring something about escaped lunatics.
"Now where were we?...AIYEE! THEY'VE DISAPPEARED !"
A few people taking a leisurely stroll in the midmorning sun were disturbed at the sight of a grown man in a lab coat throwing the mother of all tantrums whilst what could only be a transvestite with pineapples holding a fishbowl stood sweatdropping in a corner.
"Ano, Chief Icchan..."
"DON'T INTERRUPT MY SORROW OR FACE MY UNDYING WRATH!"
"They're right over there." Ogata pointed at the group of students, miraculously oblivious to the hulabaloo Icchan was making.
"STOP INTERFERING WITH MY-THEY ARE THERE! Quick, Ogata! Get me a shovel!"
"A shovel? But, why would you need a shovel, Chief?"
The echoe-y sound of someone vigorously slapping a forehead was heard.
"To dig a hole obviously! Have you never learnt these things in school, Ogata?"
"But why a hole?"
More forehead-slapping sounds.
"I am going to use a SHOVEL to dig a HOLE to HIDE in! Really, Ogata, you're too dense at times. Must I slap your forehead again to get that through your head?"
"But..."
"You have five minutes to get me a shovel. And bring the piranhas with you."
Ogata emitted a strangled sound as he dashed away clutching his sore forehead, popping a few buttons off his dress in his haste. Icchan grinned not unlike a Cheshire cat as he settled down to monitor the group of students.
Needless to say, the nearest hardware store Ogata managed to find was only too happy to give Ogata a shovel free of charge.
Ogata watched as Icchan dug, hollowed out and made a hole as well as secure several manholes that provided cover via inconspicuous levitation without any support whatsoever in under five seconds.
Giving Ogata the 'a-OK' sign (which Ogata returned with a weak smile), Icchan jumped into the hole...
Only to pause mid-leap, his eyes focusing on something on the ground. Still hanging in the air , he gently picked up the earthworm beneath his feet and set in on the street. "Why are you hiding in the dull, dank earth? Go, and live! Enjoy the fresh sunshine! Breath in the sweet air! Feel the fresh grass beneath you! Live your life to its fullest!"
Then he completed his jump into the hole, pulling the manhole cover over him. The earthworm inched one,two earthworm-steps forward...
And was promptly flattened by a passing car. Ogata sweatdropped. And they called his chief eccentric...
But Ogata knew Ichirou Mihara well. Perhaps better than most. After all, he had been working for Icchan so long he had even lost count of when.
Ichirou Mihara was an enigma, probably even to his own mother. To the general public it was simple: Many considered him and intellectual success and the creator of the world-famous Angelic Layer, his ultimate brainchild. The rest thought him an aimless asylum-escaped and very, very crazed idiot who run around the streets of Kanto frightening people and inspire tales about the boogeyman.
This staff at Piffle Princess respected him highly and considered it an honor to work with him. Well, most of the time anyway. Even they could not quite control the astounding heights their eyebrows would often rise to when watching one of their boss' peculiarities in action.
But Ogata knew, beneath the silly mannerisms and childish acts lay a spark of such brilliance that it outshadowed everything around it. Oujirou-san had seen it, Shuuko-san had seen it, even he, Ogata Masaharu, had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it once or twice on certain occasions.
These days though, he had been catching it more and more, Ichirou's more serious counterpart emerging from within, especially now with the arrival of Misaki Suzuhara, who had burrowed her way into all their hearts, especially Oujirou's. Come to think of it, the green-eyed boy had been missing a lot from the lab lately...
But back to Icchan.
Misaki...Ogata could appreciate how the girl brought out the best in Icchan. She looked forward to his sudden 'appearances' when others deem it 'childish' and 'obscure'. She really resembled Shuuko-san, from her direction-blindness to her naivete.
Perhaps it was this resemblance that endeared Icchan to her. As busy as he was, Ichirou would always be ready with a smile whenever Shuuko-san would chance to peep into the observatory, his eyes crinkling in pleasure. He would never begrudge her anything under his command. He would find the most subtle ways to bring even the slightest sparkle to her eyes, would bend over backwards to incite that blush that spread so often across her cheeks.
When he was with her, the spark that was Ichirou Mihara even outshone the brightest star in the sky.
It probably wasn't easy being an intelligent prodigy. Ogata wouldn't know: he couldn't claim to be one himself. Maybe the pressure of expectant hopes and cutting deadlines forced him to wear the face of 'Icchan', to be able to joke around with the world as its high ambitions weigh themselves on his shoulders.
From under the manhole, warbled strains of 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain' (sung very enthusiastically if not quite in key) reached Ogata's ears. Then again...maybe not.
All Ogata could say was that, when with Shuuko, Ichirou was the most Ichirou than at any other time: A genius of the highest caliber, with the potential and ability to do great things.
And it was for the sake of this genius that Ogata would gladly slave away for as long as he was able to, whether it was conducting hardcore research on new angel prototypes or finding exactly who was that guy on that sinking ship on television yesterday at eight o clock.
Or even dress in drag. And juggle pineapples and piranhas whilst running up and down the stairs twenty times.
He wondered if Icchan would ask him to be best man at the wedding (It was inevitable anyway)...but there was Oujirou after all...two best men maybe?...
"ICCHAN GO BOOM!"
Ogata jumped, his thoughts scattered as yet another button popped off his dress in his confusion. Lifting his head, he saw the target they'd been tracking all morning lay in a startled, half-dazed heap on the ground whilst Icchan pranced around in glee at his success.
A crackle from somewhere between the folds of his voluminous petticoats found him searching for a walkie-talkie he didn't know he had. Fishing it out and lifting the speaker to his mouth, he spoke tersely, "Ogata here."
"Ah, Ogata-san," the calm voice that could only belong to one Oujirou Mihara came through, "So, how is the status there?"
Icchan and Misaki were running up and down the narrow lane for what seemed to be no reason at all, only just missing several disapproving old ladies with lacy parasols coming up the street. Their gaze grew all the more disapproving as they laid eyes on Ogata, who was too distracted to notice the scathing looks. "All is running well over here, Oujirou-san."
"That's good to know. Please don't let them out of your sight. You know how ni-chan tends to be."
"I'll do my-" Ogata turned to discover that the pair that was Misaki and Ichirou had vanished quite literally without a trace. "-best," he finished weakly.
Tucking the walkie-talkie back into his petticoats, picking up the fishbowl very carefully and hitching his skirts up to his knees (causing nearby children to burst into wails and hug their mother's legs tightly), Ogata began the ardous task of finding where in Kanto was Ichirou Mihara.
Dashing around the streets, Ogata abruptly screeched to a halt, sloshing water out of his fishbowl in his haste as he spotted a figure flat on the ground, arms and legs splayed apart, twitching oh so slightly now and then. Misaki had disappeared, probably into the towering Angelic Layer building just ahead.
Ogata sprinted towards the fallen scientist, his skirts plus fishbowl hindering him terribly. Although this situation was no longer foreign by any means, still, one could never be too sure. Ignoring the conspicuous tearing sound which sounded suspiciously like a rip, he flipped Icchan over with skill and precision: A misflip could earn him another Baatsu game and he'd already had more pending then he could handle.
The scientist was out cold, not for the first time. Ogata sighed inwardly. Icchan would insist on running his little legs off first and suffering the consequences later. If he recalled correctly, the last time this occurred, Icchan had spent several days in his bed in the lab, audible creaks heard whenever he moved.
Ah, well. He was still in one piece. That was good enough.
As Ogata pondered on what to do next, Icchan's head woke, jerked up and snapped, "Ogata! You have approximately five minutes to get my prostrate body back to the lab!" before resuming unconsciousness.
"Wha-? But..." Ogata caught sight of the nearby road sign. It took approximately a second for him to realize that he did not recognize the address written on it. It took another second for it to sink in he had absolutely no idea where the Piffle Princess was from this place.
A half-second later, a frantic Ogata ran screaming down the street, the pineapples and fishbowl of piranhas on his head, Icchan slung over his shoulder, "DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE IS THE PIFFLE PRINCESS BUILDING ?"
finis
In case no one understand the sneezing part somewhere above, that particular staff member was envisioning the, er, 'punishment' he would go through if Chief Mihara caught him slacking. So sue me.