Chapter 9: "Angel" vs Angel
Only at night.
It was only at night that Nick could walk, without fear of his facade being discovered by the SSSR. They had long since given up their foolish 'operations' in the face of an enemy that didn't fuck around. And since Jack hadn't moved from his hidey-hole personally in a week, Nick felt relatively confident that nobody would disturb him.
Hands in the pockets of his school uniform, his gaze wandered over the school. Four years - almost five. That's how long he'd spent in the Afterlife. It put him in a sentimental mood, recalling when he had first met Otonashi. However, he refused to delve further into his memories; he had no interest in his life as it had been, focusing only on the Afterlife, as Otonashi did.
It was this train of thought that led him to the bridge near the lunch hall. Nick looked around, smiling slightly; despite the constant gunfire ripping holes in his clothing, he had fond memories of the Afterlife. He particularly liked this bridge.
A pause, a gust of wind.
Nick didn't know what caused him to do it, but he looked up.
A girl was standing on the opposite end of the bridge.
Hastily, he snapped open his contact case and inserted them into his eyes. Michael then looked at the girl; it looked like Nami Hama.
"You should be in your dormitory." he called softly, so as not to rouse those that were actually sleeping. His eyes narrowed in the darkness; it was not Nami. She was too short, too slender, and had golden eyes that shone in the moonlight.
The girl stayed silent, despite Michael's approach. Her feet stayed where they were planted. Her eyes unwaveringly stared into Michael's. He felt like he was being evaluated.
Who was this girl? Michael had never seen her before.
"Hurry and return to the dormitories." he said again, now within feet of the girl.
"Guard Skill: Hand Sonic."
The words froze Michael in his tracks. Deep blue blades extended from the girl's wrists, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Michael forced himself to hold his ground. "Guard Skill: Hand Sonic, version 2." he murmured. His blades grew, almost reaching to his ankles.
Who was this girl? He had asked himself this before, but once was not enough when the person in question could use Guard Skills. Was she a companion of Jack, the thieving rat who'd stolen his AngelPlayer?
"I won't ask again." he said. His voice was calm, as was required, but his mind was blurred; questions flew like flocks of doves through his brain.
The girl responded by taking a step forward, then flinging herself at him, blade pointed at his heart.
Acting on reflex alone, Michael deflected her Hand Sonic with his own, whirling around her and slicing at her back. But the girl was faster than him; she ducked and tackled him, and he staggered back before tripping over the edge of the bridge.
They fell, wind whistling through Michael's ears. The girl's face was expressionless, only cold calculations surfacing. Below, the river came closer and closer. With a grunt, the acting angel grabbed the girl and heaved her away from him, then entered the river with a swan dive.
He pierced deep, hitting the bottom of the river and kicking off. The angel flew out of the river, landing on the shoreline to see the girl swimming to the opposite shore. She had landed clumsily, and moved dizzily onto the pebbles that lined the river.
It was impossible for someone to be faster than him, and if Nick had taken the full brunt of the water's force he would have broken his neck. Twice now, this girl had almost killed him.
If he didn't attack first, he would be beaten. He jumped over the river, slashing downwards with Hand Sonic.
The silver-haired girl parried, then sliced at his stomach with her other blade. He jumped back, kicking at her, but she spun around him and delivered a high kick to the back of his head.
Michael went flying, flipping through the air before skittering across the stones. She had Overdrive, too - no human was this strong.
Michael pushed off, flipping through the air. "Guard Skill: Ascension, version 3." he called, feeling the angel wings spread from his body. He turned to his golden-eyed enemy, raising a hand. "Guard Skill: Spitfire."
"Guard Skill: Distortion." she said by way of answer. In an instant, she vanished in a cloud of smoke. Michael hovered for a moment, trying to see through the haze, when the girl suddenly burst from the smoke and pierced his stomach.
Michael spasmed, vomiting blood onto the girl as she twisted the blade in his belly. He seized her shoulder and threw her to the side, but she clipped his wing as she passed. Michael felt himself losing altitude as the girl struck the rock wall.
He fell back to the riverbank, hand held to the hole in his torso. He quickly stood, as the enemy was already on her feet again.
He jumped backwards, flying high over the river and landing on the bridge again. She followed him almost effortlessly, and he turned.
"Guard Skill: Whirlwind." he whispered, speeding away from the girl. Looking back, he saw her crouch, then spring forward. He dodged to the side and the girl flew past him like a bullet, crashing into a tree and causing it to topple.
He fled towards the school, stumbling several times while clutching his wound. He turned, utilizing Spitfire but barely slowing his enemy down.
She jumped again, and he lifted his blade to guard against her. A moment later he was on his knees, blinking; the girl had feinted, moving for his leg at the last second and slicing his thigh open.
He thrust forward, but she danced out of reach. She was too skilled with AngelPlayer to be an amateur.
Michael forced himself to stand, flipping backwards through one of the school's windows. He then turned, half-running down the hall. He collapsed in front of the Student Council room, trailing blood throughout the hall. He knew he would die soon; the hole in his stomach wasn't something that he could automatically recover from.
But how would he explain the blood to the students?
He didn't have to. When he revived half an hour later, the stains were gone and he was sitting in his chair. Otonashi was wiping his hands with a rag, staring out the window.
"Otonashi?"
"Yeah."
Michael removed his contacts, glancing out at the hall before standing.
"I can't believe it."
"Believe what? That one of Jack's goons took me out?" Nick muttered, pocketing his contact case. "Son of a bitch got good with AngelPlayer - "
"That wasn't one of Jack's henchmen." Otonashi said quietly. Nick raised an eyebrow, then noticed he was shaking. He was gripping the windowsill so hard that his knuckles were white.
"Who was it?"
"Kanade Tachibana. The girl I love."
Nick reeled back as if struck. THE Kanade Tachibana? The angel before him?
"How is that possible?"
"How the fuck should I know!" Otonashi snapped, glaring at Nick. "All I know, is that she's here. But she can't possibly be; even if she travelled to this world from her new life, there's no possible way that she could still use her Guard Skills."
It made sense. If the old Angel was his opponent, even as Michael, he couldn't fight against her; she had created the Guard Skills.
"Jack's done something." Otonashi tore himself away from the window, pacing. "Something's gone wrong. AngelPlayer can't bring people back to this world."
"But who else could it be, but Jack? He and I are the only ones with AngelPlayer, which is required for the Guard Skills to function."
Otonashi stopped, looking pensive. Then he shook his head slightly, so slightly that Nick almost missed it. He saw the word 'shadows' play across the older boy's lips.
"What? Someone else has AngelPlayer?"
"I don't know, but I plan to find out. In the meantime, I want you to find out what Jack is up to. The fact that she targeted you specifically means that you are Kanade's focus; keeping her away from the SSSR would be the best idea. They'll lose their fear of you if they see you killed any more."
"The point isn't for them to be frightened of me!" Nick snapped. "I'm supposed to play the part of the emotionless, obedient angel that obeys the rules and stops their fun! If I have to kill one or two then I will, but don't tell me to make them afraid of me!"
It looked for a moment as if Otonashi would give some sort of nasty comeback, but he bit his tongue. "Fine, Nick. But our plan has come this far, and we will succeed, Jack or no Jack." Otonashi replied.
Although he would never admit it to Otonashi, Nick was also determined to see this through. The idea of him having wasted the last five years was heart-rending.
Heart-rending. Yes, Nick knew that feeling well.
"I haven't seen Jack in person for a long time. It's time for me to go undercover." Otonashi continued. "I'm a bit more notorious than Jack, but it can be done."
"And what about me?"
"Distract Kana - no, Angel. I don't want the SSSR to forget their place in this, but fighting both Jack and Angel will throw them deeper into despair then they ever have been. You need to take some of the load off. Consider it another step forward in our mission of ascension."
"Call it what you like, I'm going to consider it busy work."
Sho kicked the stone under his foot, watching it skid across the baseball diamond. Naoya was gone, whisked off by Otonashi in the middle of the night. He'd been erased on his first day.
"God damn it." he growled. "We couldn't save one lousy recruit from Otonashi."
"There was no helping it." Sadaharu said, leaning on the fence. "Nothing we can do if a new guy doesn't want to listen."
Sho looked up, seeing Kagura and Kenichi in the stands. "And what do you two think?" he called.
"The fucker got what he deserved. Our warnings about Otonashi didn't do shit." Kagura hollered back, giving the school the finger. "At least Jack didn't show up with a kind word and some muffins, or we'd have all been fucked.
"Ease off." Kenichi said. "I agree with Sadaharu, there was nothing we could do about it."
Seth just nodded from his place at first base, drawing circles in the dirt with the toe of his shoe.
Yui and Ui were on guard duty, Ingrid and Daisetsu were in the principal's office with Risako and Fuse, and Kogara, Nami and Tokiyo were taking a trip to Forge.
"But this shows it, doesn't it?" Sadaharu wondered aloud. "Truly, Otonashi and Michael are just trying to get rid of us."
"We already knew that." Kagura spat.
"Alright, alright!" Sho yelled, frustrated. "None of this is helping us! We need to figure out what to do about Jack."
"That's Kogara's job, he went to Forge to talk with Yoshimochi."
"While that may be, we can't just let our leader do all of the work." Sho said.
"Seconded." Sadaharu nodded. Seth smiled, raising his hand, and Kenichi shrugged.
"Tch, fine. Any ideas, then?" Kagura growled.
"Not a single one." Sho replied with a sigh.
Kagura looked at him skeptically. "You suggested action without any form of plan? Christ, you're worse at this than Ui."
"Leave me alone." Sho snapped, rubbing the back of his head with a sigh. He finally turned, exasperated, and walked off.
"Guess that joke of a meeting is adjourned." Kagura crowed. "I'm off to do shit that matters, see you all later."
Sadaharu caught up with Sho quicker than expected. "Hey Sho, I know you're upset and irritated, but just jumping into battle is suicide!"
"I'm well aware." Sho responded grimly. "But we need to take action. Yui said it herself, the first time I came here. If we don't fight, we'll vanish. Nothing more, nothing less."
They walked in silence for a while, heading up the stairs and into the school's courtyard.
"Hey, Sadaharu..." Sho said quietly. "What exactly do you regret?"
Sadaharu looked at him in surprise.
"What was it that landed you here? Why were you unhappy with your life?"
"That's an important question to ask so casually." Sadaharu said with a smile. "And not one that most people would like to share."
"But...?"
"...I was a duelist." Sadaharu responded. "I was living alone, and paid the rent by fencing and going to Middle Ages tournaments. People love those, you know. Anyway, I got so good at using the sword that the judges deemed me worthy to fight their 'Black Knight', an honor usually given only to the best duelist."
Sho nodded. The two sat on a bench, and Sadaharu leaned back.
"On my way to the match, though, I got hit by a car while trying to save some kid who was crossing the street." he said sadly. "The doctor said both my legs were shattered, and so was my sword arm. I never even saw the Black Knight, let alone fought him. And just like that, my dreams slipped. My apartment was sold, my things were sold, and I died in the hospital."
Sho exhaled. Sadaharu was looking pensive, staring at the sidewalk. "I guess everyone here has some sort of dark secret." Sho said at last. "Sorry to have forced you to give yours up."
"It's alright. Somehow, it makes me feel like I'll get another chance some day. Until then, the title of 'Black Knight' stays firmly out of my reach."
It had been just a joke. A harmless little 'ha-ha' deal. How was she supposed to know that Jack would create a replica of Angel with the data given to him from AngelPlayer 5.5?
And now the Girl that Isn't was in trouble. Yuzuru suspected her, and it wouldn't be long until he connected two unnatural events with each other.
The shadows that her predecessor unleashed on the Afterlife, and the Angel replica that she had unknowingly provided to a serial killer. She would go up to disable it herself, but the chances of Yuzuru seeing her were what stayed her hand. Not to mention the staggering irony of a fight between her and Kanade's doppelganger.
Still, she was going to be discovered sooner or later. She had hoped that it would be later, though; the systems were almost fully operational again. The Girl that Isn't had only one thing left to acquire, and Alpha Protocol would be activation-ready.
Y.N./equipment_catalogue:txt
c:/_confirmed_
c:/Variable A: SSSR. Variable B: Student Council. Variable C: The Naytheists. Variable D: The Master.
Y.N./What?
The third variable surprised her so much that she accidentally typed 'what' into the console. Ignoring the system's error message, she laughed.
The Naytheists? That was what Jack was going with for his big scary organization? Well, it wasn't too horribly unoriginal, but she could imagine the look on Sho Kyuichi's face if he found out what Jack was calling himself.
The Girl that Isn't quickly regained her composure, standing. There wasn't enough space in the Second Computer Lab to pace, so she simply tapped her foot.
A fourth wielder of AngelPlayer abilities was practically unheard of. She had overdone it with the 'receive previous data' bit, that much was clear. But remote-controlling the other AngelPlayer program was one of the few ways that she was allowed to have fun.
Oh well. History would repeat itself, in the end. Even those in this land of misery couldn't escape the grip of human failure. Even the Girl that Isn't, inhuman as she may be, wasn't immune to this.
Thinking back on it, though, she really had acted foolishly. She made a note to correct her further incarnations on this behavior, whoever they may be.
Regardless, her job was done for the moment. All that was left was to watch the story unfold.
Nami rolled her shoulders, feeling her neck pop a few times. Night had fallen over the Afterlife, and everything was quiet.
The visit to Forge had gone fairly well, with Kato and Yoshimochi giving them a detailed report on Second Forge's renovations. They would be back up to full capability in a few days, apparently. Which would be positively divine news to Yui and Ui, who were getting restless at the lack of available ammunition.
With this line of thought, Nami moved with a spring in her step towards the cafeteria, but stopped when she saw Michael walking briskly towards the courtyard.
Normally, she would have pulled her gun out immediately. However, the angel had a look of determination on his face which she had never seen before. Even if she called to him, she doubted that he would take any notice.
That is why she fell into step, far behind him so as to not give herself away. Michael moved swiftly and quietly, as if his feet were barely touching the ground. Nami had never taken the time to note how he walked.
He stopped in the middle of the courtyard, then with a whispered word, his Hand Sonics grew from his wrists. An instant later, a girl walked into Nami's view.
The otaku blinked; she looked almost identical to Nami, slightly shorter and with her hair tied up in the very back. Her amber eyes betrayed no emotion, in the same way that Michael's didn't. Then, to Nami's astonishment, she produced Hand Sonics as well.
The two stood for a moment, facing off against each other. "It is getting late." she heard Michael say. The silver-haired girl did not respond.
A clock was ticking in one of the classrooms, the air so quiet that it could be audibly heard even in the courtyard.
Then they moved. In the same time that it took Nami to blink, the girl had crossed the courtyard and thrust at Michael. The angel parried, whipping around his adversary and sweeping his leg.
The girl fell, but placed her palms on the pavement and flipped away. Her feet connected with a classroom window, and she pushed off of the glass, hurtling like a bullet towards Michael. He jumped back, and the ground shook.
His Spitfire surged from his hands, but each shot was deflected by the girl as he descended back to earth. They engaged, swinging and thrusting their swords at speeds too rapid for Nami to comprehend.
It seemed that Michael was losing; despite his obvious skill, his speed couldn't keep up with the girl's. He retreated, slashing at her legs; the silver-haired girl leapt above the blade and struck at his face with her heel.
In the next instant, Michael had collided with Nami. The two were thrown from the bushes where she had taken refuge, rolling down the stairs into the sports field.
Shock registered on the angel's face as he recognized her, but a flash from above drew Nami's gaze. Michael quickly grabbed her and leapt to the side as the amber-eyed girl made contact with the ground, sending a plume of dust skyward.
The angel tossed her aside, then raced forward and delivered a kick to his opponent's face. She staggered, then turned and whipped his face with the flat side of her blade. He stumbled to the side, and a knee to the stomach lifted him off of his feet.
Nami was speechless; another angel, evidently one more powerful than Michael. She had never known anyone to match the angel blow-for-blow at his full potential.
Michael coughed, then lunged at the girl. She moved to the side, but as she swung, Michael ducked down and placed his palms into the dirt, then struck upwards. Both of his feet hit the girl's chin, and she was sent flying into the clouds.
"Return to your dormitory." he said to Nami, unnaturally calm despite the situation. The girl landed mere feet away from Nami, stumbling a bit on landing but almost immediately tensing again. Her expression had not changed throughout the entire exchange.
"Guard Skill: Delay." the girl said, a blue glow momentarily illuminating her. Michael threw himself at her, his blade slicing through the air, but the other girl was faster.
Only afterimages showed the path on which she travelled, moving around Michael too fast for him to react. He barely turned in time to block her Hand Sonic, and even so, the blade sliced open the sleeve of his uniform.
Another blow broke his blade, and the girl kicked him across the field and into the baseball field's bleachers.
Nami gasped in astonishment as the girl calmly walked after Michael.
Michael shook his head as Angel approached him, looking at the shattered remains of his left Hand Sonic.
This was a losing battle. These Guard Skills had not been made for him; Angel wielded their true power. His blade was weaker than hers. Only the skills that he created could give him an edge.
But her ability to deflect Spitfire left him only with Heaven's Fire and Uplifting. The former required close proximity, and with the speed that his opponent moved, there was no way that he would be able to get the words out in time to hit her before she struck.
The latter might work, but the problem of her speed once more presented itself. Angel's reflexes were far superior to his own. It probably didn't look like it to Nami Hama, but Michael had never fought so hard in all of his time in the Afterlife. He was slowing down, getting tired; he could feel it.
Nevertheless, any opportunity to win must be taken. "Guard Skill: Uplifting, version 3." he said quietly, feeling power build in his hands. As Angel drew close, her eyes gazing into his soul, he quickly threw his arm upwards.
His entire arm vibrated with the force of his Skill as Angel was propelled upwards. Version 3 was the most powerful version of Uplifting that he possessed; a normal person's ribcage would have splintered into their organs, but he doubted that he had done more than knock the wind out of Angel.
She was much sturdier now. While Michael's body could be as easily damaged as a human's, Jack had done something to make Angel resilient to physical damage.
"Guard Skill: Heaven's Fire." Michael declared as he moved towards Angel, falling through the air. A massive burst of blue flame surged from his body, engulfing them both in a cocoon of heat.
Angel landed on her back, and he, on his feet. It took no more than three seconds, however, for Angel to once again be upright.
He threw his arm forward again, and Angel went flying like a ragdoll. However, on pursuit, she twisted in the air and unfolded her own wings.
Otonashi had told him about these, merely decorations unlike his. But that did not prevent her from gliding out of his reach.
This was taking too long. A battle like this would soon rouse the SSSR, and Nami Hama had already seen him in a losing battle.
He was no fool, he already knew that besting Angel one-on-one was merely a dream. He landed, the girl imitating him, and they stared at each other.
"Please return to your dormitory." he said to Nami Hama. "And do not return."
She blinked, then staggered to her feet and sprinted across the grounds. Angel didn't even turn her head, focused intently on Michael. The 'angel' looked down at his single Hand Sonic.
"Hand Sonic, version 7." he murmured. A second blade grew from his wrist, then they enlarged into massive bladed crosses.
"Hand Sonic, version 5." Angel replied. Michael watched as her swords morphed into demonic claw-like blades.
There was silence for a moment, then the two lunged at each other.
So Chapter 9 ends. I hope you enjoyed it.