Battle Phase 1-37: Discussions at Nightshift

6:00 pm, Piffle Princess HQ- Backstage.

"I'm sorry if I'm coming home late..." Yayoi apologized to her husband on the phone "I know that you can take care of the house and all that is in it- particularly..."

"Miharu... I know that dear..." the other line answered back "Take good care of yourself dear..."

Yayoi blew a sigh of relief as she returned to what she had been doing.

"Now where was I?" she thought "Ah yes... Ohjiro take this!"

Yayoi (the angel) was in the holodeck layer, attacking Ohjiro's new angel, Sage in hand-to-hand.

"Mam... I didn't know that you were this good..." Ohjiro commented as he blocked and dodged Yayoi's kicks and punches.

"My training extends from high school really... being the family heiress to the art form is tough... and fighting enemies that our beyond our comprehension is much tougher."

"I see..." Ohjiro commented, striking back "So that's why you bought Miharu an angel..."

"Yes and no..." Yayoi answered "Yes because we wanted her to be prepared for the responsibility of passing on the legacy of our clan to the next generation. And no, because it was fated..."

"Fated?"

"Sooner or later, Miharu would have discovered the layer anyway, so I took the impetus... Kazenagi, Descend!" Yayoi replied, also summoning her spear.

"I see... but you've told me once that there are 6 boxes that came as Hinata's set... and only 4 were used- the egg, the hairpieces, the computer and scanner... what happened to the other two?" Ohjiro now replied, now dodging the spear.

"Box 5 contains one product of my sometimes uncontrollable fantasy- a special pack that I have made for an angel. As research into the implementation of the E-rules, I made that pack out of whimsical fancy..." Yayoi explained as she evaded Sage's attacks "It's called the SAVED- Superior Angelic eVolution Event –Destined (-factor) system... pronounce it as sa-ve-de, or SVD in much shorter terms..."

"Angelic evolution? What does it mean?"

"Simple- the angel develops as his or her Deus improves- a profession of their true powers and skills and hence- their true selves..."

"Profession of their true powers and skills... but that means..."

Yayoi took out from her bag a silver case. Upon opening, she presented the boy with a pair of glasses.

"Here are the glasses..."

"But that means that you're a..."

"Don't say a word of it..." Yayoi cautioned "being once one of this planet's defenders is really hard work... but luckily no more threats..."

"I see... but how about the angels?"

"Ah yes... I forgot. Angels can evolve at only a certain point but... there are some that can go further- notably (according to the partial results emailed to me by IRIS): Suzuka, Athena, the foreign angels Hazu, Melfina and Kuroneko, Tsubaki, and especially, Wizard, Rushina, Hinata and... Hikaru. The last four are especially noted, for they have been confirmed as the archangels- ancestors of all the angels that exist today... I have forgotten what the SVD can do, because after I completed and tested it, I deleted all information and blueprints for it, including the data gathered from testing... the more we try to remove the human consciousness, the more the angel can easily evolve- but only to a certain limit... but some angels are different- having their own consciousness actually helps them even more in adapting and their Deus' adds up even more- making a synchro-symbiotic angel evolve even further..."

"Like what happened to Hikaru?"

"Yes and no again... yes, because what we saw back there is the almost maximum of just Hikaru. And no, because..."

"We have not seen what Misaki can really do..." Ohjiro finished the thought and got hit "Aww..."

"I'm done!" Yayoi called, retrieving her angel from the field.

"Mrs. Hoshikawa, wait!" Ohjiro called as Yayoi began to leave the room.

"Oh yes... I forgot" Yayoi stopped "Continue your monitor of the matches- I need them to present my case before the others..."

"Angelic evolution... such a hopeful yet scary attribute..."

"Ah..." a friendly voice came from behind him, then snuck up on him to cover his eyes "Guess who?"

"Let me guess..." Ohjiro touched the hands that covered him, giving the owner some smiles "Tochigi-born, loves sandwiches and orange juice and is named after the orange, and the one fruit I have met at Tokyo University... Ringo..." he then turned around and saw the idol, smiling.

"You got me..."

"Too bad you got assigned to nightshift as well..." Ringo puffed as they ate their specially prepared dinner at the cafeteria (at least being in nightshift is not so dreary anymore with this).

"It can't be helped... the chief really knows how to place people at the right place, at right time."

"You mean, like right now?" Ringo looked at him with cheerful eyes.

Meanwhile, at the Hoshikawa residence. It had been that for the past 3 hours, Kajiro had been observing a young girl of 9 years, walking back and forth the length of the street. He got irritated that he went to the girl.

"Are you lost, young lady?"

"No, I'm not lost!" the golden-haired child replied "Tomoka never gets lost! I'm on the right street but... I can't find were big sis Misaki's house is..."

"Misaki... hmm..." Kajiro thought, then got a bell ringing "There's only one Misaki along this entire district- Misaki Suzuhara..."

"That's her!" Tomoka called "That's sister Misaki! Where can I find her?"

"Um... let me see... ah! The house on the third left corner- on the same side as this house... and yes, it's the one on the right when you face that street..."

"Tomoka thanks mister! Now I must go..." Tomoka said. (And yes, in a way that if dubbed in Japanese, would include some accentuated (or accentative or suffixive- just change the normal suffix kana) words at each end of every sentence she says)

"Wait..." the man again stopped the child "It's a bit late, so... Miharu!"

"Yes father..." Miharu came out of the house "What is it?"

"Can you accompany this kid to Misaki's? I still need to cook dinner for the two of us- because your mom may not come home for dinner..."

"Okay..."

As they were traversing the street...

"I thank you..." Tomoka thanked Miharu "They are such nice people, am I right, Ebichi?"

At first there was nothing. Then suddenly, the cat cap on her head suddenly squirmed and meowed, shocking even Miharu.

"Wha-wha-what is that!" Miharu asked as the cat cap looked at her.

"This is my pet, Ebichi..." the child answered and took out the spotted cat from her carrier (which was coincidentally made to look like and function as a cap), blowing a sigh of relief from the older one.

Now, in front of the Suzuhara residence.

"Tomoka again thank big sister!"

"I was nothing... by the way, what's your name?"

"I'm Tomoka... Tomoka Suzuhara... big sis Misaki's cousin! I'm pleased to meet you..." the child bowed courteously.

"I'm Miharu... and I'm her neighbor..."

After Miharu left the area Tomoka pushed the doorbell. And inside, a sneeze rang out.

"Honey, are you okay?" Shinji asked Shuuko, who sneezed yet again.

"I'm okay (sniff), it's just my nose... it's (sniff) irritated or something (sneeze!)..." Shuuko replied, rubbing her nose after another one.

"Misakichi, can you get the door for us?" Shinji yet again spoke, as he barely caught another sneeze.

As Misaki went to the door...

"The only thing that can make you sneeze like this is a cat..."

"Not just (sniff... sniff...) any cat..." Shuuko added, then saw Ebichi "It's... it's... (sniff) EBICHI! (sneeze!)"

"Oh... it's Ebichi... but that means..."

"Tomoka is here uncle Shin!" the child came in, with Misaki on her heels and another sneeze from Shuuko.

"Aiyaa... I need to get Shuuko's antihistamines..." Shinji replied upon seeing the gold haired child of his younger brother Kenji. He took his sneezing wife and went upstairs to get her medicine.

"Tomoka is happy to see big sister Misaki!" the child cheered. "Since I saw your angel Hikaru fight, I wanted to go and see you! And also, for you to see my angel Tomoka!"

Back at the princess...

"Well, I'm out of here... I still need to compile this for the meeting..." Ohjiro waved his good-bye.

"Well, good luck on your assignment... maybe after this..."

"I know... that's why we're working hard. Maybe after this, I'll give you a great Christmas present..."

"Why wait? Here's mine right now..."

As Ringo gave her "present", Tomoka was put to sleep in the guest bedroom beside Misaki's. After Miharu retired, Kajiro went out and met with his wife at the bar that they were reunited 6 years after their high school graduation.

"I guess its unavoidable- angelic evolution. Better prepare for anything than do nothing... that's why I've set the international championships 3 months after this one- so we can fix each and every bug that we can find..." Yayoi murmured as she took another sip.

"Maybe, some of your friends can help with that..." Kajiro murmured back, receiving the shot glass the waiter had given him.

"My friends? Do you mean our friends?"

"Oh, I forgot... our friends... such a reunion..."

At that note, Yayoi began to giggle.

"I just remembered the way you looked before them as you tried to talk to me- you looked absolutely like a fool back there..." Yayoi replied even before her husband had something to say.

"Eh... I just remembered how you looked after you snapped out of that trance... with Meguri..."

"Hey!" Yayoi raised her voice a bit; with a bit of red on her side "I did not know what I was doing- Meguri made me do it! Why? Do you want to see her? I'll be happy to..."

"No don't! I don't any of Meguri's seriousness here!" Kajiro alarmed as Yayoi began to grin. "You know that she still has that grudge on me!"

Back in Misaki's fold, she and her angel were again having a talk, over "dancing lessons" (since Misaki is a bit on the physically weak side).

"Not bad... not bad at all..." Hikaru clapped as she praised Misaki. "You've improved since last night- even though that nova still hurts..."

"Not without your help..."

"No... No... I did not help you at that time Misaki... I was you who managed to do all of that..."

"Really? I guess I don't know who I am myself..."

"Nonsense!" the angel objected "You know that you are Misaki, am I right?"

Misaki nodded.

"Actually, even I don't know myself either... but, for as long as you or I know, we know each other... who knows, maybe we're one and the same as well for real- not just in the field."

In Tamayo's fold, she and Rushina were having a talk over midnight snacks- Tamayo was eating on the bed while her angel sat on the table.

"So, are you ready to fight your friend?" the angel asked as she took off her hat.

"I'm supposed to ask those questions Rushina... are you ready to fight your friend?"

"Hikaru is not my friend- she's more of a sibling than a friend, considering that we were created by one person..."

"Chief Icchan?" Tamayo naturally asked, since Icchan created the formal sport, not the ideas like Shinji did.

"No..."

"Then, a guardian? Like Mrs. Hoshikawa..."

"Only my thought process came from her. The one who created us and had given us our 'personalities' and 'lives' is another..."

"Eh..." Tamayo wondered "can you tell me who?"

"It's simple... it's your friend's father..."

"You mean..."

"Shinji Suzuhara..." Yayoi again murmured, in the bar "he's such a fool... why can't he tell his daughter that he created Hikaru's reason for existence? His reason for that is not only to make a world that people can realize their true potential, but also to make a place that children can have fun in challenges- people like Misaki... Hikaru was really made for Misaki alone..."

"Come on Yayoi... let's go home... you still need to work tomorrow..." Kajiro urged his wife.

"Maybe you're right dear... if Miharu wakes up without anybody in the house- you know what may happen..."

After a short drive to the house from the bar, Kajiro took his intoxicated wife into the house and into their bedroom.

"Oh honey, love me..." Yayoi sort of cheered as her husband closed the door.

Later on, Miharu was woken up by strange noises that seemed to come from everywhere. She took a sleeping pill and then returned to bed, but the noises would not go away. In the morning, Yayoi woke up and felt something strange. She looked at herself for a bit and a wide smile went on her face.

"Thanks honey... I needed that... and I wanted it to happen as well..." Yayoi whispered to her still sleeping honey. Then, the phone rang.

"Hoshikawa residence, this is Yayoi..."

"Chief Yayoi!" the voice came from the other end.

"What's the matter Ogata?"

"It's 6:30 and you still not here... what happened?"

"Can I can't go today?"

"But mam, you know that you know how the systems work..."

"It's not only me, make yourself useful, Masaharu! I didn't train you just to act like some decoration in the control room!" Yayoi warned her student.

"I'll try mam..."

"Okay... Yumika is back to being matron, and I'll send someone over there just to help, okay?"

"I'll appreciate it..."

"Oh my..." Yayoi puffed as she closed the line and opened another one. "Hello?"

"Antonov-Kanzaki residence, Sakura Kinomoto speaking..." the voice of the Eriol Academy's principal, Yayoi's cousin, Miyuki's mother and Miharu, Kirie and Reimi's aunt came in. "Oh it's you Yayoi..."

"At the neighbor's again?"

"So what, I'm just visiting my cousin... even though we are neighbors... so what can I do for you?"

"Can I talk to Andrei? It's something important..."

"Yayoi what happened to you? Had a wild time or something?" she asked, for she knew Yayoi was a full blooded businesswoman- and 'something important' tied with another person's name was unheard from her. "Naughty, naughty, naughty Yayoi..."

"I'll tell it to you later... right now..."

"Okay, please wait..."

A few seconds later...

"Andrei here... what is it Yayoi?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What!" he almost screamed, after Yayoi told him the favor she wanted.

"Please... I didn't expect that something would happen to me..."

"Naughty, naughty... I guess I can't help but do..."

"Oh thank you!" Yayoi thanked her older cousin and closed the line.

"Mom, can I come in?" the sudden intrusion of Miharu jolted Yayoi.

"Just a moment dear..." she excused, rushing to put her bathrobe on. "You can come in now..."

"Good Morning mom..." Miharu greeted upon entering, bearing a breakfast tray.

"Had a good night's rest?" she asked her daughter; for Miharu looked like she was up all night "You don't look okay..."

"I heard some noises last night. I took a pill and it worked a bit..."

"Oh my... how embarrassing..." Yayoi thought and blushed as she began to eat her breakfast.

"And then, Lacus came and nuzzled against my nose, so I sneezed a bit..." Miharu continued.

"Miharu... can I sleep in? I feel tired from last night..."

"Okay mom... not a noise of peep from me..."

"Good luck on your match dear..."

"I hope so... thanks mom..." Miharu spoke as she closed the door.

The arena is set, and now the remaining hopefuls were now preparing for the last 3 days of the tourney. Miharu had cleaned up the house and herself and had left for the princess to practice. Misaki had already left and was there already, meeting up with Miharu later.

"Let's go..." Rushina urged her Deus.

'Anna ni issho datta no ni...' (We were so close together...)

"Ah... it's time. I hope that my opponent is Misakichi!"

'Yuugure wa mou chigau iro...' (But the twilight has a different color now...)