Sorry for the long wait! Moving takes so much longer than expected when I have to juggle report cards, esseys, term papers and projects, along with the regular school work and extra curriculars (I'm so stupid- I joined the track team, and now I have practice every day after school Bangs head against the wall)
This isn't even a completely new chapter. I rewrote some of the details, but I just added a few more scenes at the end.
Please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Angelic Layer. CLAMP are the goddesses who own all AL's rights. sob
The Next Generation by Keledrena
Chapter Five
"Are you ready?" asked Hikari anxiously. She adjusted the butterfly mask over her face and looked at the full length mirror in her room.
"Yes," chirped Akane. Kenji nodded.
Hikari frowned. Why didn't she have any sense when she was younger? The members of the Angelic Court had decided to dress as their own Angels and dress the Angels to look like them. Hikari looked at Yukiko and smiled. Yukiko was dressed as Hikari was the day she won the National Tournament. Yukiko was wearing a light blue sundress and had her blue hair up in two ponytails.
However, Hikari wore something that would be best described as a one piece bathing suit with long, loose sleeves connected to it. A wide piece of cloth wrapped around her waist and tied in a fancy knot served as her skirt. Her shoes where platform sandels that laced up her legs, and she had large white wings. She had let her long blue hair (inherited from Oujirou) grow until it reached her butt, exactly the color and length of Yukiko's. The butterfly mask framed her mother's blue eyes.
When she was a child, Hikari had always loved fairy tales, especially ones with a prince and princess. She designed Yukiko to look like Cinderella at the ball. Later, Misaki had talked her out of glass slippers and the full skirt, but she had kept the mask and long, sweeping sleeves. The outfit was then adapted to increase speed and ease for fighting. It looked very nice, but was much more revealing than she usually wore.
Kenji was tugging at her sleeve. "Come on, Ka-chan. We're going to be late." He was dressed as his angel, Suoh, and Akane was dressed as hers, Kikyo.
"Okay." She followed them out of her room.
-
"Hikari! Akane! Kenji! You guys look great!" Aya exclaimed when she saw them. "You look just like Yukiko, Hikari."
Hikari blushed. "Thank you. Your costume is pretty nice, too." Aya had dressed as Mizu Nabiki, a currently star of Angelic Layer.
"Hey, look at Ringo!" Aya pointed.
Hikari turned around. Following the court trend, Ringo had dressed as her Angel. Behind her stood Yuu, but he wasn't dressed as Mage. In fact, Hikari didn't think he even knew about the Court cosplaying, since he never showed up at any of the meetings.
"She's dressed as her Angel, Ranga, with the same outfit and ponytail! She looks exactly like Ranga!" said Kimi excitedly. She and Aya had a lot in common.
Yuu immediately went over to Akito and Satoshi, then the three left on his private limo. Ringo headed toward Kasumi and Tomikazu. They spoke, then Ringo headed toward her limo.
"It's time to leave," said Kasumi. "Please board the same buses you came here on. And may I speak to Mihara Hikari and her siblings, please."
Aya looked at Hikari in confusion. "What does she want with you?"
Hikari shrugged.
"Well, I'll save you a seat on the bus, okay?"
"Thank you." Hikari, Kenji and Akane headed toward Kasumi.
"Ringo requested that you three joined her in her limo," said Kasumi softly. "She says she knows your parents, and would like you to be in the same car as her. You can refuse if you wish."
"Oh, it's okay, we'll come," said Kenji.
Kasumi smiled. "It's an honor, because Mrs. Mizawa is a excellent deuce. Please be on your best behavior."
"We will," assured Hikari.
-
The limos and buses pulled up to the Convention Building. The class piled out of the buses.
As Hikari, Akane and Kenji got out , Ringo called out, "Kari-chan! Don't forget that we're up meeting at the Blue Room an hour before sunset."
Hikari smiled and nodded. She turned and bumped into Aya.
Aya who was standing there staring.
Aya who's mouth was wide open.
Aya who had heard every word.
"Y-Y-You're Kari-chan!" she blurted out at last.
Hikari blushed and looked down at her feet.
-
Explaining to Aya took a while, mainly because she kept on interupting to make comments on why she didn't notice before.
Then she asked an important question, "Does Yuu know?"
"No," said Hikari simply. "He never came to any of the recent meetings."
The two wandered around the convention looking at various angels in the layer (Akane and Kenji had wandered off), and giggling when they saw pictures of a much younger Misaki, Oujirou, and even Hikari as a little girl. It was nice to have a friend that knew her secret.
Aya was still pestering her about the surprise.
"Please?"
"No, you'll find out in a few minutes," said Hikari.
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"It has to do with your costume, right?"
"I think I see my parents," said Hikari hurriedly. "Bye!"
Aya grinned. "I'm right."
-
Hikari spent some more time wandering around the booths.
"Ahhhhh!"
Hikari spun around in surprise. She saw familiar red and blue hair. Misaki and Oujirou had done an extremely precise job, dressing up as Hikaru and Wizard. 'No doubt thanks to Mom's sewing skills,' she thought wryly. 'According to Grandma Shuuko, he nearly ruined Wizard's costume, and ended up having some else do it for him.'
The two were trying in vain to go past the fan girls.
"Such a perfect outfit! It's like, you've spent hours studying the real Hikaru!" said one girl.
"You've matched the exact shade of blue as the real Wizard's hair!" squealed another.
Hikari giggled.
Suddenly, one of the girls was distracted. "Look!" She cried, pointing. Her attention was at the Shirahime near her. Two seconds later, another fan girl pointed out her Yukiko costume to the girls' friends.
Hikaru ducked, but it was too late. They started to head toward her, hoping to cluster her, too.
She ran off, and ducked into the nearest room.
-
Yuu was bored. He had already beaten everyone in the battle room. And he had already flirted with all the cute girls there.
"Yuu-kun! What do you want to do now?" Midoriko Azuya, one of his admirers was clinging to his arm.
He frowned in slight disgust.
Slam!
This caught the attention of the entire room, including Yuu.
A girl, dressed exactly like Yuki, was leaning against the door, panting. She then noticed everyone staring at her. "Um, hi," she said smiling weakly. "Rabid fangirls."
She was very familiar; her voice, not just her costume. His mind immediately tried to place her. He found himself heading over to her- after all, she was someone new. Hikari's eye widen. Did he recognize her?
A double take. No, he didn't. She knew that look. She stifled a laugh. He was going to try to flirt with her!
"Hello, I don't believe we've met."
"Uh, I guess not."
"I'm Yuu."
"Call me.." She faded. What should she say? "Call me Kiko."
Yuu misinterpreted her fading off. 'The coy type, huh? Even better.'
But for some reason, his usual lines didn't seem to fit. "So, uh, do you like Angelic Layer?"
He almost banged his head against the wall. Of course she liked it! She was at the convention wasn't she? And she was dressing up as an angel, too, right?
Hikari blinked. This wasn't the Yuu she went to school with for the past few months. "Yes, I do."
"So, do you have an angel?" Damn mask preventing him from seeing her expressions!
"Yeah." Out came Yuki, dressed as a mini version of Hikari's three year old self. "R-Ri-chan."
Yuu was taken aback. She must really be a fan, if she even took the time to make up another outfit for her angel. "She's cute," he said.
Hikari frowned. "She's more than just cute."
"Oh?" Amused.
"She's a really good fighter, too!" She lifted her chin.
"Would you care to prove that?" This came out as a purr.
"Of course."
"Fine." He grinned. Another challenge. "But be warned, I was last year's national champion."
"So what? Don't try to go easy on me." Hikari put on her head set.
"I won't." He did the same, with a smirk.
The battle has begun.
I don't know when the next one's going to be in. Definitely before the end of the year, but not sure exactly when. Will haveget back to you on that.
Another thing- Does anyone want to help me write the next chapter? I'm so terrible at anything action, that I think it would be better if some one could write part of it with me.