Introductions and Disclaimers:
"Angelic Layer" belongs to the wonder women of CLAMP
This is a sweet, but lengthy, story of middle schoolers and first love set outside the normal AL setting. Please enjoy ^_^

Golden Week Memories

Part 2

"Ah! That's amazing!" Misaki leaned over a frail balcony to see more of the
sprawling city and countryside below. They were on top of a huge hill that used
to be the location of a samurai's home. Now it was a museum filled with old
relics. So far today they'd been to 3 museums, a forest park, a watermelon
patch ("Nyuzen is famous for its jumbo watermelons," Yumiko said.), and there
was going to be one more stop before they returned home.

They piled into the car again and drove awhile before arriving at a large white
building with strange looking trees. Yumiko ran inside right away, before
anyone else even got out of the car.

E-ko just shook her head. "That girl just never gets enough." without explaining
what she meant. Then she pointed at the building. "This is one of our city's
pride and joys: the sports center. We hold many prefecture-wide tournaments
here for all kinds of sports. Karate, judo, basketball, volleyball. There is
even a free fitness center for the city residents. Of course, it also holds
other events. Let's go grab Yumiko."

Once inside, Misaki saw what E-ko had described. There were many courts and
rooms with people playing sports. A few girls ran past them up to a large
staircase, and that's where E-ko was headed. At the top, Misaki gave a startled
"Ah!". There was one Angelic Layer setup, and Yumiko was currently in a match
with another person. Her angel moved stealthily across the layer, definitely a
speed type. Her opponent tried to punch, but Yumiko's angel dropped low and did
a sweeping kick. Before the other angel even hit the ground, Yumiko's angel
kicked straight up and the helpless angel flew out of the layer and collasped on
the floor. A huge cheer went up and Yumiko removed her headgear.

"Yumiko-sempai is so amazing!"
"Yumiko-chan! Teach me to make an angel as wonderful as Cherry."
"Amazing again Kobayashi-san. That makes 22 wins and no loses. You must be the
best in the city."

Yumiko blushed at all the praise. When she lifted her head, she noticed her
rather cross-looking mother standing at the top of the staircase. She ran over
and bowed in apology.

"Sorry everyone. I just had to get a match in while we were here. Ever since I
saw little Hatoko-chan on TV, I've been hooked on Angelic Layer. Sometime I'd
like to travel to Tokyo to do a match with her."

"You're really good Yumiko." Kotarou held out a hand. "Can I see your angel?"

Yumiko handed her angel over. "Her name is Cherry, like the blossoms. Her
delicate name doesn't suit her though. Between her wild purple outfit and her
lightening fighting style, she should have been named Starry or Shadow or
something."

Truth be told though, the outfit wasn't nearly as wild as Yumiko made it sound
to be. Cherry had white hair that went down past her waist, but it had many
shorter layers. She wore a simple gold chain across her forehead, with a star
dangling in the middle. her top was more like a vest, closed at the top but
open at the bottom with little star charms dangling from the tips. It was
sleeveless, as white as her hair, but lined with a gold trim. She had opera
length purple gloves and thigh high purple boots. The last touch was a purple
pleated skirt with a gold star centered on the middle pleat. It looked like
something an idol might wear at a concert or in a music video.

Misaki expressed her awe in a smile and said, "She's really cute! And she must
be a speed type."

Yumiko nodded. "How did you know? Do you do Angelic Layer as well Misaki-chan?"

Misaki blushed. "Well, I've only just begun," she started but Tamayo squeezed
her and butted in. "Misakichi is the best! She's even won the regional
tournament and is headed to nationals!"

Yumiko's eyes widened in appreciation. "You're that Suzuhara Misaki? Wow! I
saw your name listed in one of my Angelic Layer magazines! Does that mean you
have Hikaru with you at the house?"

"Actually, she's right here." Misaki brought Hikaru out of her front pocket.

"Mama, can Misaki-chan and I have a quick match before we go home? I'd love a
challenge and this will be our only chance." E-ko looked at her daughter and
then at Misaki. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Yumiko cheered and
pulled Misaki over to the playing table.

"I won't go easy, Misaki-chan, just cause you are dating my little cousin."
"Huh? I'm not..."
"Let's go!"

Somebody dimmed the room lights and the only thing illuminated was the layer.
Yumiko set Cherry on the top of her folded hands. "Just as the cherry blossoms
fall, so do my opponents! Angel, fall in!" Yumiko thrust Cherry into the layer
and as Cherry hit the active boundary, she opened her golden-colored eyes. Then
she hit the table and back flipped into a fighting position.

Misaki followed suit, calling out her opening lines. She held Hikaru up high
and yelled "Wings of an angel! Please guide HIkaru and me!" and Hikaru flew
into the layer, powerfully flipping over and landing into her battle-ready
stance.

"Angelic Fight!" yelled the crowd and the battle begun. Hikaru started running
towards Cherry, but Cherry easily side stepped and kicked Hikaru in the back of
the knee. Hikaru stumbled a moment, but quickly turned around and began to
throw punches at Cherry in rapid succession. A few of them hit, and Cherry
retreated to a corner.

"Yahoo!" Tamayo shouted. "You got her on the run now Misakichi!"

Hikaru started to run towards Cherry again, but Cherry jumped into the air.
Hikaru follwed upwards, legs extended for a kick. Cherry arched her back and
flipped back to the table, safely out of Hikaru's reach.

"No good," Misaki thought. "She's too fast for normal attacks." Hikaru stood
in ready position, waiting for Misaki's next command. Cherry went on the
offensive, dashing towards Hikaru. Hikaru threw out her arm to punch, but
Cherry dropped and swept Hikaru off her feet.

"It's the same move she used on the other person," Misaki thought. She ordered
Hikaru to be ready, and when Cherry extended her leg for the upward kick, Hikaru
grabbed a hold of the leg and twisted Cherry over the top and back to the table
with incredible force. Cherry's damage meter went down, and now Hikaru and
Cherry were even. 30 seconds were left on the clock.

Cherry stood and got into a fighting stance. Hikaru backed away a little and
got into a fighting stance of her own. "At this rate we'll tie. I can't think
of anything else to try. I can't dash or punch. Even aerial combat moves don't
work against her."

15 seconds left. 10 seconds. The two angels stayed in their places. 5
seconds. 3 seconds. 1 second.

"BOOOO" the buzzer went off and the score keeper reported a tie. The crowd
seemed disappointed and so did Yumiko. Her face dropped into a sad frown.
Misaki took off her headgear and ran to Yumiko's side.

"Cherry is so fast! That sweep kick/upper kick combination is really powerful.
Does it have a special name?"

Yumiko removed her headgear and shook her head. "It probably does, but I don't
know it." She blushed a little. "I saw it in a video game."

Misaki laughed a little and then Yumiko stuck out a challenging finger. "I
won't accept a tie Misaki-chan. We'll have to face off one more time before you
return to Tokyo."

Misaki looked stunned but then smiled and nodded. She held out her pinky.
"It's a promise." Yumiko smiled back and clasped pinkies.

"Time to head back girls. There is still plenty to do at the house and if you
want to get any sleep tonight, I'd suggest we leave now." E-ko turned and
headed down the stairs. The children followed behind, waving bye to the people
left playing Angelic Layer.


----------------------
"Ah! I'm so tired!" Tamayo collapsed on her futon. Misaki did the same. Their
futons laid side by side on the floor of Yumiko's bedroom. Misaki looked around
the room. It had the usual things. A dresser and closet for clothes, a desk, a
bed. Even a small bookshelf with textbooks, novels, and manga. However, the
decorations definitely showed Yumiko's love for Angelic Layer. There were
posters and advertisement banners hanging on the walls. Cluttered on the floor
were various Angelic Layer items like outfits and practice aids. On top of the
dresser was a tiny bed made out of a shoebox, where Cherry was currently laying.
Misaki stood up and laid Hikaru beside Cherry under the covers. The idea of
making Hikaru her own bed back at home flashed through Misaki's mind. However,
she decided she liked sleeping next to Hikaru better.

Yumiko came into the room carrying a tray of cake slices and cola. The 3 girls
sat around a mini-table and ate their snack. Everyone was pretty quiet from
being tired, but finally Yumiko broke the silence.

"Ne, want to listen to my latest CD single? It's a really good song."
"Sure!"

Yumiko got up and put a tiny mini-CD single into her CD player. The room filled
with cheery pop music.

"Ringo!" Misaki exclaimed.

Yumiko nodded. "It's her newest single 'Never Give Up'. It was only released a
few days ago. She's so talented. Singing, dancing, she's even going to do a TV
commercial for Nishado cosmetics soon! And she does Angelic Layer! She's so
amazing!"

Misaki nodded. "I've had a match with her angel Ranga before. She's very tough
to beat."

"Wahh!!!" Yumiko shouted. "You've met Seto-san before?"

Misaki nodded and Yumiko squealed again. "Can you get her signature for me?"

Misaki blushed a little and scratched her head. "I suppose I could ask
Ringo-san for you."

Yumiko squealed even louder and gave Misaki a big hug. "You even call her by
her first name! You're so amazing Misaki! I wish I could live in Tokyo and
meet all sorts of cool people. Plus I could see the real Angelic Layer section
at the huge Piffle Princess store in Shinjuku. We got some items out here, but
not that many."

"You girls get ready for bed now okay?" E-ko called out from downstairs.
"Okay mama!" Yumiko yelled back.

They took the tray downstairs and Misaki noticed Kotarou and his Uncle Kintarou
helping incoming campers. They would arrive slowly throughout the night
according to E-ko. The campers all brought sleeping rolls and very few
belongings. Uncle Kintarou was handing campers a karate gi if they didn't own
one or forgot to bring it. Kotarou was helping set out sleeping bags in an
orderly fashion and storing luggage in a shelving unit with chubby holes.

Misaki headed to the bathroom and got ready to take her bath. She quickly
washed her hair and rinsed off. Then she entered the hot bathtub and closed her
eyes to relax. The water soothed her sore muscles.

After they had returned from the sports center, Uncle Kintarou had set them to
work right away. They had to sweep and polish the floors in all 3 dojo rooms.
Then a leak was discovered in the roof of the sleeping room, so while Uncle
Kintarou fixed the leak, Misaki and Tamayo polished the floor again. Yumiko
brought out sandwiches for dinner. Then they had to go find the storage boxes
with the extra gis and sort them out by size. It was dark long before they
finished.

Misaki got out of the bath and changed into pajamas. She silently entered
Yumiko's room. Yumiko was sleeping soundly. Tamayo was snoring just a bit and
had fallen asleep without changing her clothes. Misaki crawled into her futon
and quickly fell asleep dreaming about what tomorrow would be like.

E-ko knocked on the door and peered inside the bedroom. "Morning girls! Better
get up now if you want to get any breakfast before lessons begin. Yumiko, I
could use your help in the kitchen as soon as you are able."

Misaki sleepily opened her eyes and sniffed the aroma that had entered the room.
"Mmmm, what is that? It smells wonderful."

Yumiko hopped out of bed and quickly changed into a simple dress. Then she put
on an apron and started to rush out. "Hotcakes!" she called back. "We always
have them on the first day of camp and they go fast! You better hurry and get
dressed."

Tamayo rolled over and hugged Misaki in her sleep. "Misaki... makes such
wonderful food..." she mumbled. Misaki got flushed and then gently shook her
friend.

"Tamayo-chan, wake up. We gotta get to breakfast." At the word breakfast
Tamayo jumped up out of her futon.

"Breakfast? Let's go Misaki!" They quickly changed and ran down into the
kitchen. It was a total zoo! People were coming and going, carrying plates and
trying to sit where ever there was room.

"Yo! Misakichi! Over here!" Kotarou was sitting at a makeshift table in the
living room. Misaki and Tamayo sat down next to the slightly sweaty Kotarou.
He passed them plates and told them to help themselves to the big plate of
pancakes in the middle of the table. Yumiko brought over two glasses of milk
then quickly rushed away to help someone else.

"Have you been practicing already Kotarou-chan?" Tamayo asked between bites.

"Yep. We got up at 6 and have been working out since then. This is my first
time in the advanced group. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Heh, heh, heh. Not up to the challenge Kotarou-chan?"
Kotarou gave Tamayo a little glare and shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm
learning quite a bit already. Just you wait Kizaki Tamayo. Next time you might
not be able to put me in a headlock."

"Is that so?" Tamayo laughed. Misaki was worried Tamayo might try to do
something right now in the crowded room, but thankfully she was more interested
in eating more of the delicious pancakes.

After everyone was done eating, Uncle Kintarou stood on an overturned box and
rang a bell to get attention. "Hi everyone and thanks for coming. We'll all
learn a lot this week about karate and about each other, but most importantly,
about yourselves." He continued to talk about how camp would be organized and
the basic rules. When that was finished, he got everyone ready to break into
lessons.

"If you are a young one ages 5-8, please go with Kobayashi Kotarou-sensei."
Kotarou stood up and his little fidgeting charges followed him out to one of the
training rooms.

"Next, if you are age 9 on up and have had over a year or karate lessons or have
had camp before, please go with Matsuoki Saionji-sensei." More than 3/4 of the
campers left behind their sensei. Tamayo left with this group. She waved good
bye to Misaki and flashed her a V before exiting.

"Well, the rest of you are with me then." Uncle Kintarou had them sit in a
circle, with himself standing in the center. Misaki looked at her fellow
campers. Ages and sizes varied a lot. Misaki was also relieved she wasn't the
only girl. There were 2 young girls who huddled together like friends. There
was also a girl that looked like a 3rd year high school student. Even sitting
motionless, she presented herself with a lot of grace and poise.

"Welcome to the Nyuzen Kobayashi dojo and your first time at karate camp. My
name is Kobayashi-sensei. This is my dojo and I've been teaching karate for
almost 20 years now. I enjoy teaching the beginner's class at camp because I
want to make sure every camper has a strong foundation. Before we begin though,
I'd like everyone to stand up and introduce yourself. State your name and why
you want to study karate. How about we start with you?" He pointed at a boy of
about 15. The boy stood up and quickly said "My name is Hoshino Tsubasa and I'm
taking karate cause it looks cool." He quickly sat back down. Uncle Kintarou
nodded his head and motioned for the next person to introduce himself. They
went around the circle and when it was Misaki's turn, she nervously stood up.

"My n..name is Suzuhara Misaki and I'm.. I'm um.. at camp to improve my
abilities at Angelic Layer." As she talked, Misaki noticed the high school aged
girl react to Angelic Layer. "Maybe she does it too..." Misaki thought.

A few more introductions and it was the high school girl's turn. "I'm Aino
Shizuka. I've mastered many other martial arts and thought I'd give karate a
try. I am also here to improve my skills at Angelic Layer." She sat down and
looked at Misaki. It was a cool glance, and Misaki instantly felt she had done
something wrong without knowing. Shizuka was the last of the introductions, so
Uncle Kintarou moved them into orderly lines. The lesson started out simple.
Learning how to bow. Learning the proper way to sit. Normally Misaki didn't
have a problem sitting that way, but the hardwood floor and long period of time
got her legs to aching. Next, Uncle Kintarou demonstrated a basic punch move
over and over. He went through each part slowly, showing how this method
increased your force over a normal punch.

By the time that was accomplished, it was time for lunch. Unlike breakfast, the
group lunch times were staggered to make it easier on E-ko and Yumiko. They had
made tuna salad and egg salad sandwiches, rice balls with little fish pieces and
shredding vegetables, and miso soup. Best of all were the water bottles with
ice cold water. It soothed Misaki's parched throat after all that hard work.
The group sat in a shady part of the courtyard.

Misaki looked around the courtyard. The grass was a rich shade of green and
felt soft to the touch. A few maple trees and flowering bushes provided a
tranquility not found in Tokyo. There was a mini flower and vegetable garden in
one corner, guarded by a little fence and chicken wire.

"That's my garden." Yumiko said. She sat down beside Misaki, taking a break
from the hectic kitchen work. "Along with cooking lessons, Nakamura-san teaches
me about gardening. She says the best meals are prepared with food you've grown
yourself."

"Ahhh. I'm envious of you Yumiko-san. My grandma used to teach me lots about
cooking, but now that I live in Tokyo, I don't get lessons anymore."

"And I envy you, Misaki-chan. Tokyo is such an exciting place. And since you
go to Erioru Gakuen, you have a great shot at a number of universities and
basically can enter any trade school you wish."

"I haven't even thought about that yet. I think I'm more worried about getting
through middle school!" The two girls giggled together.

"So how has camp been so far Misaki-chan?" Yumiko bit into one of the
sandwiches she had made.

"Well, it's been hard actually. My legs are sore from sitting so long, and we
did a lot of punches before lunch. Hikaru makes it look so easy." More
giggles. "The only part that is troubling so far is one of my classmates. Aino
Shizuka. She keeps glaring at me and I'm not sure what I did to offend her."
Misaki's face turned into a sad frown. She was so used to getting along with
people and making friends. She was hoping she could be friends with Shizuka-san
too, but...

"Did you say Aino Shizuka? She's here at our camp?" Yumiko suddenly got
excited and turned to completely face Misaki.

"That's what she introduced herself as. Why?"

"Because she is the reigning Angelic Layer champion from Toyama Prefecture! I
saw her on TV a few months ago in a competition. She'll probably be at
nationals too and knows your name. She probably just thinks of you as an
opponent. I wouldn't worry too much Misaki-chan."

Misaki still looked troubled. It was nice to know more about Shizuka-san, but
even Misaki's opponents usually were friendly. Maybe Misaki would just need to
work harder at being friendly. "Good luck Misaki!" she thought to herself.

Yumiko excused herself so she could return to the kitchen. E-ko was busy making
more sandwiches and rice balls, since it would soon be another class's turn to
eat. That class looked quite busy at the moment. They were scurring around the
room and it looked like their teacher was having a bit of trouble. One of the
campers fell and the teacher rushed to help him up. Misaki could see him giving
the child a gentle scolding, and then pat the child's back and sent him off to
the others.

"He's always so kind and gentle. I bet even with all those little kids running
about, he'd still be calm and at ease. He looks so good with them too. I hope
I can find somebody just like..." Misaki turned red as she realized the person
she was staring at was walking towards her, having dismissed his students for
lunch.

"Hi Misakichi! You look like you were deep in thought. What were you thinking
about?"

"Ah, oh, um... nothing! Um, just um, how beautiful your Uncle's house is."

Kotarou sat down next to Misaki and nodded. "It's over 100 years old. My
grandpa owned it and ran a karate dojo. When he passed away, he gave the school
to my uncle. My dad and uncle made the school even bigger by attracting more
students and adding a third training room. When my dad met my mother, they
moved to Tokyo and started a dojo there."

"Ohhhh, I see." Misaki replied. She handed Kotarou a sandwich, but he politely
refused. Instead he showed Misaki an apple he'd been holding.

"I've been chosen to help after lunch with a demonstration. I'm kinda nervous,
so I figured I'd eat really light today." He took a bite and then offered it to
Misaki. "Here! It's really good. Picked down the street this morning by
Yumiko." She took the apple and bit into it.

"Heh heh, way to go Misakichi. That's like an indirect kiss!"

"Wha??!" Misaki yelled and felt her face turn red. She put her hands up to
cover her blushing, and the apple fell from her hands to the ground. "AH! The
apple!" She picked it up and handed it to Kotarou. "I'm sorry."

Kotarou shook his head. "The one that should apologize is Tamayo-chan. That
was a terrible thing to say!" Kotarou looked a little flushed.

"Heehee. gomen, gomen. But weren't you thinking the same thing?
Kotarou-chan!" Tamayo leaned close to him and grinned. Kotarou got even more
flushed and stood up.

"I, I gotta get ready! Bye!" and he quickly left.