1Chapter three: preparations.
"Chief mihara, I think I found something!!! Ogata, icchan's hapless assistant was going through a large stack of paper work on his keyboard and triumphantly held up what looked like an old crumpled file.
"its an old copy of an angel card registry from the country of Ireland, I hadn't even known we had angel eggs shipped there, let alone layers…"
Icchan took the file and sat back down in his chair and spun a bit.
"We didn't send too many, and the layers themselves were never built there. There were some in the UK though, if it was a deus they would have to go to England to play at the time this file was issued by the looks of it. But it seems to be one of the first angel cards we issued in Europe. Lets see…."
Icchan flipped thorough the files pages and stopped when he came to the last page.
"this is weird, it says his angel card was to be suspended for the duration of some years, by order of our UK branch." Ogata looked confused not having read the whole file himself.
"Suspended? For what?"
"It says, excessively dangerous and self-destructive game practices on the layer. Also endangering other players. Now we're getting somewhere, Ogata, see if you can pull up a recording of one of this deus's fights. Its important we know what were dealing with here."
"yes chief mihara… say chief mihara? I was just thinking, what kind of "self-destructive" habits could get you banned from the layer, was he using drugs or something? I really don't see angelic layer having some kind of steroids issue." Ogatta laughed at his weak humor and was surprised to hear his chief laugh with him a bit.
"Well that's a good question, and I intend to find out, as a matter of fact I plan on calling the head of our European branch and asking them myself about this. Oh and one thing Ogatta, if you tell anyone about all this research….for the punishment game you get to dress like wizard and dance on a layer while I pretend to control yoooouuu!!!" Icchan wiggled his arms to and fro as Ogatta shivered and shook his head up and down to signify he understood.
"Good, than if you'll excuse me I have some calls to make, so clean this mess up and get those fight records for me."
……….
Despite her intial bout of shock Misaki was soon to busy and excited to worry about anything, her preparations for her trip where going full force and god forbid if someone got in her way in the kitchen as she worked tirelessly over several luchboxes for the trip to Hokkaido. It had been decided they would go by train, than by bus, than hike the last neck of the trip through the country side to Hatoko and kotaro's family's inn. The whole of the day had been dedicated to getting ready and as she finally finished cleaning out the rice cooker and allowed herself to sit down and rest she felt oddly drained.
Her limbs felt heavy and it seemed she needed this vacation more than she thought.
" Have I really been so busy? I guess I was so occupied I hadn't even noticed I was tired" she looked around the living room of the house her and sighed, her mother Shuuko was out shopping and not liking the silence she reached for the T.V remote.
Nothing was on, like always and she wasn't really watching it as she curled up in the chair and pulled Hikaru off the coffee table and held the little angel to her chest and rocked a bit as she felt tiredness overtake her.
"What do you think Hikaru? Maybe I'm working too hard; I could take a rest from the layer for a while? You wouldn't mind would you?" Misaki drifted and within minutes she was out, curled up in a little ball snoozing in the warmth of the sunlight pouring through the window holding Hikaru close.
The whole of the area around her was dark and cold and the sky above was a perfect grey, filled with clouds. The path in front of her was lined with dead trees and a light snow fell .Nothing here seemed able to support life. Even the sun gave off a weak pathetic light that held no warmth to it.
……………………….
"Where am I?" Misaki looked around in confusion as the wind whipped through her.
"Is anyone there? Some one?" she ran forward hoping to find some signs of anything that want grey like the whole of this odd world. And there on the farthest end of the path stood a light, and in it was Hikaru, standing at Misakis height and looking at her with a sad smile.
"Hikaru? What is it, why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?" before she could get and answer a dark hand, that seemed to be made of shadow laced its self around hikaru's waist as another one looped over her shoulder.
"You think that you can defend the angels? You lack what it takes to beat the demons within, just run off and go play like the stupid little girl you are." The voice was coming from behind Hikaru at first but than moved until it came from right beside Misaki's ear
"run little girl, hide and cower, it's no use."
…………………………
Misaki woke up with a start almost falling from the chair. She sat back for a few minutes breathing hard and feeling a cold sweat run down her neck. She looked down at hikaru and hugged the angel closer feeling some of her tensions ease but not leave completely.
"I guess we need this vacation more than we thought, huh Hikaru?"
…………
Sai sat quietly in her apartment watching the leaves blow about in the court yard of the complex, her angel shirahime sat motionlessly upon the table looking coldly ahead into the distance. Her mind was far from being as calm as her exterior though. Ever since the first appearance of two of these so called "seven sins" she had been very anxious indeed. So far nothing else had happened, but it was really too quiet to her. The ice machine decided it was no good waiting around for something bad to happen though and had immediately gotten in touch with the angelic layer company, only to be told she didn't have to worry and that it was being "handled".
And so she sat her feeling angry and helpless. It was the worst feeling in the world to her being helpless when something big was happening, it wasn't her nature to be on the sidelines. With one last glimpse at shirahime she stood up, grabbed the angel and stalked out the door, garbed in her usual green uniform.
She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she needed to find something to do or she would go crazy sitting at home. If she was out she might be able to concentrate better.
Being out in the open air under the blue afternoon sky was always comforting, even with the noise of all the people she was able to feel calm settle over her heart, and without knowing how really she found herself on the cherry tree lined path that lead to her school. It was odd but she silently sat herself down on a bench directly beneath the biggest of the trees and crossed her legs sighing in thought.
She had quite a few memories connected to this bench. It was where she would sit and think, while her sister had been in the hospital. And it was where she first met kaede, her closest, and really only….
"friend?" Sai whispered the word and thought about it. sure she was more open with kaede, but it wasn't like they ever hung out or anything. She felt a bit at odds sometimes when she was with the angelic like deus of blanch. She was defiantly more than just an acquaintance. But a friend? Maybe.
Mabye not.
It was hard to say, Sai had few friends in her life. But now she felt like she was going in circles, why think of this now, she had left the house to clear her head, not fill it with useless thoughts.
And so she sat and pondered for a long time, almost in a trance. The cherry blossoms danced on the light breeze and she was so zoned that it almost seemed natural to her to hear the sound of a voice singing until it was loud enough for her to know it wasn't in her head.
It was a woman's voice, or more specifically a girls voice. The song was slow and she rolled her voice in a sensual tone as she sang to herself. The girl in question was short, with black hair going about to the middle of her neck, slicked straight, wearing tight jeans and a baggy shirt.
The song its self was odd and sai couldn't help but to lean a bit to listen to it
"when the devil is too busy
And deaths a bit too much,
They call on me by name you see
For my special touch.
To the gentle men I'm Miss fortune.
To the ladies I'm Sir pirse
But call me by any name
Anyway it's all the same."
"im the fly in your soup
Im the pebble in your shoe
Im the pea beneath you bed---err hello."
Sai was startled, as the girl suddenly stopped and waved to her, smiling.
"Sorry to bug you and all, but would you happen to be miss Sai, the ice machine? I hate to sound rude but could you maybe, say…sign my—" Sai had her hand up before the girl could even finish.
"I don't sign autographs. If you could just leave me be, I would appreciate it." the girl thought for a second and sai had the distinct impression she saw the corner of her smile twitch ever so slightly, a sign of repressed emotions of some kind. But she bowed and was on her way none the less without another word.
"What an odd girl" but sai didn't have the time to ponder it though. But it had helped to distract her from being upset, so there seemed to be one odd positive in the day.
……………….
Not far off the girl sat crossed legged behind a tree watching Sai till she left, and sighed. After she was sure no one was within ear shot she stood up and punched the closest tree with all her might, leaving a small dent in the hard bark.
"That…Bitch!!! Just brushing me off like that!!! I should ring her damn neck and watch her face go blue!!!!" after a moment of her tirade she stopped as quickly as she had started and removed a cellphone from the inside of her baggy shirt and dialed in a rather frustrated manner.
Ring…..ring….(click) "hello?"
"Yo moron, it's me. I just made contact with jonuichi Sai."
"And? I said to get a report on her, did you even pay attention to anything or did you just do that thing were you walk off and start raving like a lunatic? I need you to focus….never mind, asking you to focus is like asking a bee not to sting you for whacking its hive with a stick."
"SCREW YOU!!!! I know what im doing. Also she didn't sign the stupid book like you wanted."
"Hmm disappointing. But not matter I suspected she wouldn't. Oh well it's not that important. I just wanted it for my deus signature collection, I wanted to get all the finalist from last years Kanto tournament but it's not a big priority."
"You just wanted it for you collection!? God damn I hate you. I thought you had something important you wanted those signatures for."
"nope"
"God….I…hate…you. just tell me you have a plan for the next step Glut. I'm sick of waiting."
"I know Wrathy. Not to worry, its almost time to start. After all, the pieces have been placed so well for us. Now we just need to remove the pawns and the king is ours."
"Enough metaphors, I'm going now, I have better things to do than listen to you yak Glut."
"fine, fine. just be ready for when we need you….(click)
She closed her cellphone and returned it to the inside of her shirt and shook her head a bit.
"God, it's so painful talking to that guy." She turned on her heels a few times and was soon on her way, going back down the road she came looking up at the cherry blossoms and frowning a bit.
"Stupid pink trees."
…………
"Perfect! Almost ready." Hatoko was busy rushing back and forth in her room, deciding on last minute additions to her suit case, torn between what to leave and what to take to Hokkaido with her. All the morning had been a big rush for her, while kotaro lazed about the house, having already done his packing, giving Hatoko the impression that men must either be very lazy or be missing that part of the brain that tells them to be prepared for anything that might happen.
Having gone over her list several times though hatoko finally decided she was packed and ready and collapsed on her bed sighing. Now that she had the time to think, she went back to why she asked misaki to join them in the first place. After the appearance of that nutcase at the piffle princess, a fierce idea that Misaki was in danger had inched its way into her head. She wasn't sure why, but the moment that she set eyes on him she felt the shiver of fear run down her spine.
But even more so, it was the need to keep close to Misaki. Ever since she had been her second she felt a need to protect Misaki. If there was one thing she could see that others couldn't, it was how fragile she really was deep down. Misaki was her closest friend and heck if she was going to let anything hurt her.
"I really hope she listens to me, I can't think of anything else that would help her right now." Hatoko had thought and thought, and after a few days had come to a conclusion of what she needed to do, it was going to be hard but she felt even more sure with each passing moment that this trip was the chance she needed. Even if it hurt her to do it, she had to get Misaki to keep away from angelic layer for as long as she could. It was the only way she had right now to protect.
"please, stay safe Misaki."
…………….
"I see, so you've got nothing on him? But it says he registered for an angel card. And he got one too. He should be somewhere in your records. I told you his name was Johnny. Johnny sandsteel. Yes I know it's a fake sounding name, it probably is one. He may have signed for his card under an alias. Just try and match pictures. This is important." Icchan was stuck in circles with the Angelic layer European branch headquarters. They had nothing on the name from the file he had seen matching the green man. But he knew it would be there somewhere or at least should be.
After nearly an hour on the phone Icchan had hung up in frustration and sulked his way back to the control room, ignoring Ogatta's panicked attempt to clean the mess of papers everywhere as he fell back into his chair and closed his eyes whispering to himself.
"Dammit. I know you're behind this Johnny. Just give up before you hurt someone else this time. Why do you have to keep making me hate you? Johnny…no… Doctor sandsteel, you stopped being Johnny a long time ago, didn't you?"
Icchan stayed this way for some time, contemplating as he sat. it was long into the night before he had managed to pull himself from his chair and told Ogatta to go home and just waited for him to leave.
With no one around Icchan just stood quietly in the dark, breathing slowly, thinking long into the night and that's how his team found him the next morning when they came in.
………………
Misaki stood waiting at the train station, her head full of exciting thoughts of how she would spend her time off. All that was left was for hatoko, kotaro, and Tamayo to arrive and of course the train to get there.
She was so excited that she failed to notice that not far from her, inside the station sitting on a bench directly on the opposite side of the wall from her was a man in a black suit and vest with a black jacket, hat and perfectly round sunglasses. He smirked from behind the newspaper he was reading and took another look at the ticket he was holding in his hand.
12:00pm train from
Tokyo into the Hokkaido region
Good for one trip.
End chapter 3
Notes from the writer: well that was fun. Also, just so you know, that song in the chapter being sung was the first few lines of "when your evil" by Voltaire. Please review!!!
