Disclaimer:

If wishes were horses, then the beggars could ride—

Unfortunately wishes aren't horses . . . so no matter how many times I make a wish, or ride a horse, I'll never own Angelic Layer, which rightfully belongs to its creator, CLAMP, a group of bright and highly talented people.

Summary:

When Misaki's daughter goes to Tokyo and discovers Angelic Layer for the first time in seventeen years, her life changes . . . forever.

Complete Synopsis:

A girl struggling to find and deal with the circumstances of her mother's death while studying in Tokyo . . .

A boy wishing to hide his identity and keep his parentage secret from the outside world though he is one of the most famous faces in Tokyo. . .

From the moment these two strangers meet for the first time at a train station, their lives are turned upside down . . .

Author's Note:

This is one of my first Angelic Layer fanfics. I hope you enjoy it. The genre covers many things from mystery, action, and suspense, to humor and romance. If you read this story, then please take the time to leave a review. Your courtesy will be well appreciated and like most authors, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update.

"Shizuka-chan!"

Kotarou Kobayashi sat at the table, his breakfast only half eaten, anxiously waiting for his daughter to join him. He was a little worried. Shizuka displayed many of the qualities of her mother, including the fact that she was still a little shy. Meeting new people did not suit her very well. He only hoped that she'd be happy in Tokyo with her "Aunt" and "Uncle" Mihara, who although not related to the Kobayashi family by blood, were as close as family. Besides, Ohjiro's brother had married Misaki's mother, so technically he and Tamayo were related to the Kobayashis by marriage. In fact, they were his aunt and uncle. A funny thought that was, since the Miharas were more like honorary brothers and sisters. At least they were all those years ago . . . Kotarou hadn't seen them in years, and his daughter had never seen them in her life.

Suddenly the sound of someone pounding down the stairs was heard, and a very pretty girl popped into the kitchen. She had very fair skin, long wavy layered dark brown hair let loose that hung down past her shoulder all the way to her waist, and pale blue eyes that seemed to have a certain sparkle to them. She wore a flowing white skirt, and a lavender colored knitted poncho embroidered with a couple of pink and yellow flowers here and there, under which a light blue colored tank top, matching her eyes, was slightly visible.

"Ohayo Dad," she greeted her father, giving him a hug and kiss before settling down in her own spot at the table. Shizuka was a very attractive girl at age seventeen, already boys turned around to look at her and give her a second glance on the streets. But she showed almost no interest in them. Instead, she was very focused on her studies, which she was now going to complete in Tokyo. For the first time in years, Shizuka would be leaving home, alone without her family. She had never been to a big city like Tokyo, and the only time she'd spent time away from home was seven years ago when she went to summer camp for two days. Kotarou was worried about his only daughter, his only child at that. She was the only person he had left now . . .

Kotarou sighed. "Good morning Shizuka. What kept you so long? Today's a very important day you know, we have to go catch the train to Tokyo soon."

"I know Dad, don't worry. I was just putting a few final touches to my packing. So. . . how long will I have to stay with--?" Shizuka paused, unable to find a word to describe the relationship between her family, and the people she would be living with.

"Your Aunt Tomoyo and Uncle Ohjiro," supplied Kotarou, thinking there was no need for the girl to go around calling people of less than forty years "Great Aunt and Uncle", "they were close friends of mine and your mother's. You mustn't be shy around them. Treat them like family, because that is literally what they were."

"They are close friends, Dad," Shizuka said.

"Huh?"

Shizuka laughed lightly. "I mean you said that this Auntie and Uncle were close friends, but aren't they still? Bonds like love and friendship don't go away, ever." Even after the ones tied together have long since passed away, Shizuka thought to herself. Death can destroy a person, but it can never take away feelings that once existed between that person and another.

"Of course," said Kotarou, trying to act normal, but unable to keep the worry out of his voice. It had been many years since the accident, but he was still afraid of the effects it may have had on his daughter. At least she had no clue about Angelic Layer yet, living in the isolated country. He worried about what she would do when she found out the truth, the whole truth. At any rate, he hoped Angelic Layer didn't run in the blood. He hoped his daughter would be able to live in Tokyo without being drawn into the world of Angels, fights, and championship titles. Well . . . he just hoped that if she did become a Deus when she discovered Angelic Layer for herself, that she would be a very bad one. That way she'd never have to suffer through what her parents had to . . . "Anyways," he changed the subject, "Once you complete this last year of school and take your final, you'll be able to come right back home. So remember, I'll be seeing you in a little less than a year, one school year to be exact, so don't get too homesick."

"Don't worry about me, Dad. I'll be fine." Shizuka thought would miss the country, but it would be nice to visit the city. She'd never been to Tokyo before. She'd barely ever been out of the country for that matter. A vague memory of visiting a small suburb of Kyoto when she was six surfaced up for a few moments, but it was hazy, and Shizuka soon lost the double-sight she gained when she was remembering something from the distant past. The older image vanished, leaving behind the present.

Kotarou looked at his daughter. Her eyes had a faraway look to them, but when she caught him looking at her, she smiled. He smiled back and shook his head. "Just like your mother," he said, not bothering to explain.

"Right," said Shizuka, a little uneasily. What does he mean by that?

The bell rang and both Shizuka and Kotarou were saved from having to make any kind of reply as Shizuka ran to answer the door.

"Hello miss, I have a small package here I'd like for someone from the—" The delivery man paused to read a piece of paper in his hand, before looking up and saying with confidence, "the Kobayashi household to sign for."

"Oh, I'll sign for it. Does it matter that I'm under 18?" Shizuka asked.

"No. Just as long as your name is Kobayashi."

"Okay." Shizuka signed on a clipboard that the man handed her, before taking the package from his hands, waving the man a good day, and closing the door behind him. She walked back to the kitchen slowly.

"What is it?" asked Kotarou, when he saw the package in his daughter's hands.

"Something from Tokyo . . . I don't really know. There's no name."

"Here, let me see." Kotarou took the package from his daughter's hands and opened it. A picture and letter fell out. "Oh," he said quickly, trying to keep excitement out of his voice, "take a look at this picture Shizuka."

His daughter instantly became suspicious. "Dad," she said suspiciously, "this isn't another one of your hare-brained schemes to try and find the love of my life or something, is it? I've told you already, I'm too young!"

Kotarou looked sadly at his daughter. "Shizuka-chan," he said gently, "I found the love of my life at age 12. Surely it's not too early for you to be thinking ahead and planning your future."

"Ugh, don't worry Dad. I'll plan later. Right now I've got my studies to focus on."

"Exactly. How do you expect to finish your studies, and find a suitable boy at the same time?"

"Dad," said Shizuka in an impatient tone, "love doesn't need but only a moment to happen. No matter what's going on in my life, if it's the right time, and the right person, I'll know . . ." And he'll know too . . . I think. No matter what I tell my father, I still have no clue about how love works. I just know that I'm definitely not choosing my life partner through a photo.

Kotarou sighed heavily and slid the picture and letter back into the envelope. No point in trying to reason with her now. She won't look at the picture if her life depends on it. "Come on," he said out loud, grabbing his coat, "we'd better get going if you don't want to miss your train."

Shizuka grabbed her bags, and then together, father and daughter made their way out of the house and to their car, on the way to the train station.

It takes just only a moment for love to blossom. Lives can change in less than a heartbeat . . .

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"Mihara Ryo. It's time for your match."

"Huh? Oh." Reluctantly an eighteen-year old boy sitting in the Deuses' waiting room got up and closed the magazine where he had been reading an article on a rumor about the Angelic Layer Production Committee introducing new technology that would allow Angels to use elemental attacks of fire, water, wind, earth, and etc. It had been an interesting article, but Uncle Icchan hadn't mentioned anything about adding the power of elements to Angelic Layer, so Ryo figured that the author was simply a creative young fool with great imagination. Curiously he checked the front cover of the magazine, scanning it for the author's name, but found nothing. He was disturbed from conducting a more thorough search when the lady who had first told him to come for his match cleared her throat. "Oh right. Sorry." Ryo left the magazine on his chair and followed the lady to the stadium, picking up his Angel, Starblade, on the way.

Ryo's concentration was now only on three things; Starblade, the Layer, and the opponent's Angel, Ariadne. His trained mind blocked everything out, including the cheering audience, the commentator, and his opponent's smirking face. He had fought Yoshikawa Diana before. She was a strong Deus, her family having come to live in Japan, her father's birthplace, all the way from America, where her parents had met, but today victory would belong to Ryo. It was the final battle of the Regionals, and he would need to win this to advance. I will not lose . . . not again . . . Love and defeat: two things that do not belong in my dictionary.

Ariadne, being the speed type that she was, came rushing at Starblade, who stood at the very edge of the Layer, her bright magenta coloring a blur. Starblade held his ground and waited. And waited . . . and waited. . . till the very last minute . . .

Ariadne was less than an inch away from Starblade when he acted. He grabbed the lighter female Angel by her waist and flipped her over his head, her speed acting as the momentum for her flight out of the Layer . . .

Ryo said nothing out loud, showed nothing in his expression. There's no way to be sure just yet, I remember very well what happened last time . . .

But then a hard thud was heard, and the previously silent audience erupted in applause and cheers. "LAYER OUT!" shouted the commentator. "Starblade wins and Mihara Ryo will advance to the Nationals!"

The crowd went wild, and a couple of girls started a chant about how their greatest desire was to go out with Ryo. Ryo sighed as he took off his visor. Being the son of the Prince of Angelic Layer, and the nephew of the Father of Angelic Layer, fame was nothing new to him. But what pained him was that he almost never got a chance to make a first impression on people. Everyone knows me already, if not personally, at least they've seen my face on television or read about me. To them, I am simply a great Deus who is a role model to many, and sometimes maybe a handsome celebrity fangirls paste pictures of on their schoolbooks. I am always judged for what I am, never for who I am. Sometimes I wish this weren't the case, I wish I could meet someone who didn't know me, at least not in the way that these people do. Someone who'd maybe think I was stupid, or annoying . . . anything but perfect. I wish I could be a normal teenaged boy. I wish I could have the chance to make a first impression, for just once in my life . . .

The gift to dream and make dreams real is yours. Be careful what you wish for . . .

Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. I really need some good feedback, and maybe some constructive criticism.