Hi readers. Just to say I don't own Angelic Layer or anything by Clamp. Aina I do own. This is my second Angelic Layer fanfic. Rated T for some language in later chapters.

Enjoy!

"Look!"

The crowd peered upward at the huge screen. Two Angels stood bodies in a fighting position. One Angel was small and slight, obviously female, dressed in a glittering leotard. The other Angel was tall and wide, and its gender was much more difficult to confirm. Its face was hidden, a helmet that look faintly like a motor-bike one rested upon its head, a dark grey visor covering the Angel's facial features. The female Angel moved first, small body leaping up into the air, one foot flying out and kicking the bulkier Angel hard in the face. A gasp came from the crowd.

Aina Yumataiya sighed, taking another spoonful of her somewhat melted ice cream. As a seasoned Angelic Layer deus, she knew the out-come of the match already; she had seen fights like that many times.

Aina licked her lip, sombre pale blue eyes flicking away from the window and back to her table. She couldn't help admitting to herself that she was a little bored. Having no desire for another microwaved meal, she had opted to go out to eat and was sitting in one of Tokyo's most modern restaurants. Getting a quiet booth to herself, she'd had time to think and reflect, but now she was finished with all that. Making a slightly irritated noise in her throat, she dug around in her handbag until she found her mobile. Stabbing a message with one finger, she quickly sent a text to her driver to come pick her up. She was tempted to add 'Quickly' in her message, but thought against it.

People talked and laughed in the small restaurant, though Aina could feel people near her shoot quick, furtive glances at her. She stifled another sigh. It was clear what they were thinking.

She supposed that was how it looked. Like she'd been stood up or something.

If only that had been the case.

The argument ran around stubbornly in her head, like a dog chasing its own tail. No matter how hard Aina tried to concentrate on other things, the echoes continued to repeat in her mind. Perhaps her depression was working its way into her features too- the strange woman sitting alone, looking like she was considering drowning herself in her ice-cream.

But really, she couldn't care less what these people thought. They had no idea who she was, most likely. This thought did not improve her already low mood. To these people, she was just some random woman on her own. They didn't know that she was once like the people they were currently goggling at on the screen.

But, of course, it had been months since she had had an Angelic Fight. New Deuces were always coming in, and attention would turn to them, leaving others pushed into the background. If Aina had been doing Angelic Layer for a long time, she might not feel so bitter about it. But the fact was, she had only been in Angelic Layer for a few years, and already she was being pushed away without an actual, memorable moment in the spotlight.

It wasn't as though she was craving fame, or money, particularly. But she didn't like just being overlooked. Like a birthday present that had been put aside, already forgotten in all the excitement over the new ones.

And her Angels had been forgotten, too. That was probably what Aina resented the most. It's not like any of the other Deuces had any more talent than she did, aside from making their dolls fight.
Aina knew that.

It was a different matter on the Layer. On the layer, her Angels weren't just dolls that she controlled. They were primed weapons, pitting against those of others, fighting with the passion and imagination their owners had created them with, what they were intended to be inside. The Angels were not simply dolls. They were idols. People wanted to reach out and touch them, even a simple look at the legendary fighting machines. And there were only Aina's to belong to. Nobody else could have these legendary items that were watched and, though it sounded arrogant to say, admired. Aina knew there were plenty of other Angels who were even more aspired then hers, but all the same...

Aina looked down at the rest of her food, and pushed it firmly away with one finger. Their tastes seemed like an insult to the one already in her mouth.

The taste of power.

Yes. Aina may be forgotten, swept under the rug like a grimy penny, but she still had a status. She was something, someone, even if there were always new something's there to replace her. A smile appeared on her face, though a bitter expression was in her eyes.

"Miss Yumataiya?"

Aina turned, lavender, shoulder-length hair glinting slightly under the bold lighting of the booth.

"Yes?"

Her driver, Gorou Asaji had come in, wearing his usual expression.

"Are you almost ready to go?"

Aina glanced back at her meal. She decided to finish off her drink. But as she reaching out for the wineglass, something slightly odd happened.

The glass cracked.

Not a deep crack, meaning that the glass split. It happened from under the surface, but it was a deep crack, almost like a clear fissure.

Aina withdrew her hand, frowning at the wineglass. She could see her reflection had become slightly distorted, split in two like a funhouse mirror.

"I'm ready." she told Gorou, standing up. She left money on the table, exiting, casting a last glance at the wineglass.

"Where to, Miss Yumataiya?"

"I just want to go home, please."

"Sure."

The car set off. Maybe the driver could sense Aina's depressed mood, because he didn't try and engage her in small talk. While Aina was usually a relatively easy person to talk to, when she was in this kind of mood, he knew better then to try and get her to do something until she was quite ready.
Aina stared out of the window, watching the buildings and people go by. She felt small, in that car, one of the many cars on the road. She brushed a couple of crumbs off the sleeves of her Yukata, which was decorated with pale lavender flowers. Now that Aina was out of the restaurant, she felt better, although she could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. She leant against the back of the seat, and shut her eyes.

"Damn..." the driver muttered, the car stopping slightly abruptly.

"Something wrong?" Aina asked him, without opening her eyes.

"Some guy just cut me off, that's all."

The car resumed motion. Aina felt strangely light-headed. Then, suddenly, she heard a shout, and there was a screeching of breaks.

Time seemed to slow down. As Aina's eyes flew open, she saw the front of a bright red car slam into the side, glass shattering and raining out onto the seat. Aina was thrown back, her head slammed into the door and she was plunged into blackness. The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was a horrified silence.

A/N: Don't worry, the next chapters will have more Angelic Layer stuff in then this one.

Reviews are very nice.