Angelic Layer
Role Play On The Layer
By L.A.Noyola

Episode 3
Role Play Through The Eyes Of Dolls

Rain smiled as she walked out of Ceci's house, Kiseki on her shoulder. Once she got to the four-way pass; that was where Thunder, Hatoko and Bez were waiting for her. Along with them was another person, a girl with short blue hair and cold green eyes. They had no warmth at all, unlike Thunder's eyes; he had a trace of warmth in his.

"Hey there, what's up?" Rain asked, smiling as she reached them.

"Hey Rain, I wanted you to meet my older sister Rez. Rez, this is Rain." Thunder spoke, a smile on his face.

Rain looked at the tall girl who was obviously Thunder and Bez's older sister. She wore a green school uniform and looked at Rain with a slight grin, but it looked more like a small smirk.

"Hi..."

"Umm... Hello..." Rain greeted nervously, and then looked to Hatoko. "Hey Hatoko... Do you play Angelic Layer?"

"I used to... But now I just use my Suzuka for the Role Play Layer." Hatoko answered.

"Role Play Layer? I haven't tried that yet... I've just gone to the Battle Layer..."

"Really? After school, you should go on and try it!"

"Don't we have school to attend?" Rez asked, getting bored.

"Gah!! Let's go, Guys!!" Thunder yelled, taking Rain's hand and running off towards the school.

"Wait for us!!" Hatoko yelled, running off with Bez being carried on her back.

Rez just sighed and walked off in the opposite direction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After school, Rain did go onto the store again. She went up the stairs and found the Battles Layers and then found the Role Play Layers on the right side of the room. She walked over to one of the large, large layers and saw a bunch of other Duces there, looking through the eyes of their dolls. Rain walked over to an empty spot and tossed in Kiseki.

Kiseki landed on the tiptoe of her pointed, brown boots, smiling as she looked around. Rain gasped, she could see everything as though she were Kiseki herself. Rain thought about making Kiseki turn her head to the left and look at the other dolls, and it was done. She smiled, realizing what was going on. Rain thought of Kiseki running over to a girl doll with long blue hair and eyes, and she did it.

"Hi there, I'm Kiseki. And you are?" Kiseki asked with a gentle smile.

The other doll just looked at her and blinked with a confused look, but then she smiled and answered.

"I'm Suzuka."

Kiseki's/Rain's eyes widened, it was Hatoko!!

"Ha-Hatoko?" Kiseki asked with a surprised look on her face.

Suzuka nodded and jumped up, hugging Kiseki.

"I knew you'd come here, so I decided to come and play, too!"

"Ack!! Let go!! Too Tight!!" Kiseki managed to choke out.

Suzuka sweatdropped as she let go, putting her hand behind her head and rubbing it a little.

"G-Gomen nasai..."

"Naa... It's OK, but is there anything fun to do around here?"

"There is fighting... You wanna fight with me?" another doll asked, cutting into the conversation with a smile.

"Huh? Oh, umm... who are you?" Kiseki would ask with a sweatdrop.

"I'm Mez, come on!" the doll said.

"Umm... OK."

The two dolls immediately flew out of the layer and out to their Duces.

"Wha?!" Rain yelled as her seat floated over to the Battle Layer.

There was another person going there, too. Her opponent, she thought. She looked older and experienced; this would be tough.

"As the flames sing, dance, Mezuno!" the opponent yelled, throwing in the doll from before.

Once the doll was in, she did a flip and landed on those fox-like feet. She had short red hair with two, red fox ears on her head, she also had a long, bushy red tail behind her with a white tip. Mezuno had bright green eyes, much like Kiseki's, and she wore a worn shirt and skirt. Her fingernails were long for claws, and she looked ready to fight.

"Umm..." Rain mumbled, thinking of a cool entrance. "The Wings Of Heaven are with us, Kiseki!"

Rain then threw Kiseki onto the Layer, she turned and did a turn before landing with her hands behind her head. She smiled and was ready to as well.

"Angelic Fight! Begin!" the opponent yelled as Mezuno jumped up and slashing those huge claws at Kiseki.

Kiseki dodged them with a bit of trouble, this didn't seem easy at all. Mezuno pointed a finger at Kiseki and a circle of red flames appeared with her in the middle of it. Kiseki looked around and saw that she was surrounded, she glared.

"What is that?!" Rain asked.

"It's her choice of weapon..." an answer came.

Rain turned her head and saw Occhan.

"What?"

"Her choice of weapon, you have one, too. Remember?"

Rain looked back to the fight and watched as Kiseki was getting hit by fireball after fireball by Mezuno. Kiseki's clothes were beginning to burn, and Rain was running out of options.

"Kiseki!!!"

Kiseki's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, she jumped up from the circle of flames with her bow in her hand. She took an arrow and aimed at Mezuno, that was when the arrow began to glow icy blue. Kiseki shot it and it got Mezuno in the shoulder. Even so, Mezuno's arm turned to ice, and she was also shot out of the Layer. Kiseki landed on the ground and did a pushed back her hair so her face could be seen, she was smiling.

"I... Lost..." the Duce spoke, holding Mezuno in her hands.

The ice around Mez's arm had melted, and the girl was just sitting there staring at her. Rain took Kiseki from the Layer and ran to her opponent, looking at Mezuno.

"Is she OK?"

The Duce just smiled, taking off the head set. Rain gasped.

"Rez?!"

"Yup... I'm surprised you were able to beat me so easily..."

"Heh... Believe me, it wasn't easily..." Rain insisted, sweatdropping.

"I can't believe this! Rain, you beat Rez?!" a male voice asked from behind them.

Rain and Rez turned around to see Thunder staring with a look of disbelief on his face. Rain and Rez both giggled.

"Yeah, 'surprising,' isn't it?" Rain asked, giggling.

Thunder was staring with sweat trickling down the side of his face.

'If she beat Rez... Then she can probably beat Hatoko... And... Me...' he thought. "Rain! I want to Angelic Battle you!"

"What? Umm... OK..."

Thunder got in Rez's seat and put on the head set, as Rain did in her own spot. Thunder took out a doll dressed as if it were from the Feudal Era, then he began his entrance.

"Defeat all who come your way, Kouga!"

"The Wings Of Heaven are with us, Kiseki!" Rain spoke with a smile on her face and a special thing in her voice that she couldn't hear.

Thunder blushed at this special spot in her voice, then shook it off. His doll, Kouga, wore lots of brown material, and dark colored armor to keep it there. He had brown shorts and a brown, wolf tail swishing behind that. Kouga had raven black hair and pure blue eyes, no pupils at all.

Once Kiseki entered, Rain could have sworn that she saw Kouga blushing a tad.

"Angelic Fight!" Thunder yelled.

Kouga's legs glowed blue before he ran off to Kiseki, a pale blue tornado appearing around his body as he ran. It was his Wolf Wind, and Kiseki was pushed back to the edge of the Layer. Kiseki quickly rolled out of the way before Kouga could kick her out of the Layer.

"Let's see, what can I do..." Rain thought, watching with sweat rolling itself down her neck.

Kiseki got to her feet and jumped up high, taking out one of her arrows and aiming at Kouga. Once it glowed its icy blue, Kiseki released it. But just before it hit, Kouga got into another Wolf Wind. The arrow froze the tornado around him, he broke the ice with his Wolf Kick and then jumped up to Kiseki, smirking. Kiseki gasped.

"Say good-night..." Kouga commanded, hitting Kiseki over the head and sending he straight down to the Layer.

Rain gasped as she watched in horror, Kiseki was getting too injured! Kiseki now had a few cuts and bruises on her, Rain could tell.

'Rain... I... I want to keep going...' Kiseki's voice said in Rain's mind.

"Ki-Kiseki... Can you get up then...?" Rain asked quietly.

Kiseki slowly and painfully got from flat on the ground to her hands and knees.

"I'm surprised you can move after getting hit like that... No matter..." Kouga said, running into Kiseki and using another Wolf Wind.

Kiseki screamed as she fell out of the Layer, Rain stared at her severely injured Angel. She pulled off the head set and threw it to the seat, falling to the red carpet floor and looking down at Kiseki. Rain's eyes filled with tears, and they slowly found their way down her soft pink cheeks. Her tear drops fell to the floor, and they were like raindrops to Kiseki, Raindrops of Healing and Sadness. Rain could see Kiseki's frown turn into a small grin.

"Kiseki..." she cooed, gently placing a hand under her small friend's body and then the other.

She hugged Kiseki as she cried, then felt a hand on her shoulder. Rain looked up and saw Thunder in front of her with Kouga on his shoulder. He smiled and said.

"It was a nice fight... You and Kiseki did fine... I'm sorry for not going easy on you since you're new and all..."

Rain shook her head and wiped away her tears.

"No... It's all right... Losing just makes me want to get stronger... Kiseki, too..."

Thunder smiled at her, then stood up, helping Rain up too.

"I'll help you fix Kiseki if you want me to..."

"Would you really? Thank you!"

"Well... It's the least I could do since I'm the one who messed her up..." Thunder admitted with a sweatdrop and a nervous laugh.

Rain just giggled, seeing Kiseki's eyes looking at Kouga and smiling. She then looked to Kouga and saw a smile on his face and that his cheeks were light red. Rain smiled and walked out of the store with Thunder.

To Be Continued...