Chapter 01: A New Angel is Born
"Ugh..." I groaned, as I woke up. Where am I? I thought to myself. I couldn't really remember anything.
I opened my eyes and looked around. It was morning and I was in a room that isn't my bedroom. However, it looked strangely familiar, as if I was here for many days. The walls were white and the sunlight shone through the windows. I looked to my right and saw some sort of device with a screen. It was then that I realized wires were attached to me and I was wearing an oxygen mask and a white robe.
I would've screamed and gone nuts, but I was too weak and tired to do so. I just laid on the bed looking at the dull, white ceiling wondering how I got into the hospital (I'm in a hospital, aren't I?). Just then, a black- haired man with glasses in a white coat entered the room. He looked at me and smiled.
"I see you've finally woken up," he said cheerfully, "My name is Dr. Hanabashi. You seem to be getting better now."
"Why... am I here?" I asked staring right at him.
The doctor's expression became sad now. "(Sigh) you were injured in a car crash many days ago. You were lucky to have survived as you were rushed to the hospital."
"What!?" I screamed, as I sat upright and grabbed him by the collar of his coat, "Car crash! Bull! I don't remember anything like that! What happened to my parents? Tell me!"
"Calm down and I'll tell you," he said softly, as he gently took my hands off of him. He took a deep breath, paused, and quietly said, "If you insist...Your parents were killed in the car crash. They died instantly, the moment they got hit by the other vehicle. I'm terribly sorry..."
There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, many images were flashing through my mind very quickly. The car, a bright light, my mom, my dad... They were images of what happened. They kept flashing in my mind one after another. Then I blacked out.
I was in the car with my mom and dad, and we were just driving along the highway. Yes, I remember now, we were driving to Tokyo City, because we moved there. Then as we were driving, I saw a car coming right at us. Its lights getting brighter... brighter... brighter... Suddenly, my mind went blank.
I woke up as quickly as that and opened my eyes, noticing a lady looking at me.
"Good morning, Yumiko-chan," she said cheerfully, "I've come to take you to your new home."
"Aunt Ayami..." I said quietly. Ayami is my dad's sister who lives in Tokyo City. She's kind, loving, and caring, but very strict and mean at work. She has long brown hair, blue eyes, slender, and short. She is pretty, but not as much as my mom though. Last time I heard about her job occupation, she was a model of some big doll company.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked Hanabashi, who was sitting right beside her, "You were asleep the entire day, yesterday."
"I'm okay now..." I replied as I looked at myself. The wires were gone and I no longer had the stupid mask and white dress. Someone dressed me up in a blue shirt and a white skirt. I sat up and try to stand. However, my legs couldn't move, as if I can't feel it.
"My legs... it won't move at all..." I said nervously in a low voice. I looked at the doctor...
"I forgot to tell you... both of your legs were permanently paralyzed," he said regretfully, with his face in a somber expression.
"You mean..." Ayami said in a scared voice, looking terrified.
The doctor sighed, "Yes, you know what I mean...Yumiko...will never be able to walk again for the rest of her entire life."
"What?!" I exclaimed and eyes wide open in total shock.
"But, can't we give her those artificial legs that I heard of?" Ayami asked.
The doctor paused and then said, "If you're talking about the moving one, they're currently in the making. It'll be released this winter, but many people have already preordered it and it's quite costly. It's about 14,000,000 yen."
"That is quite a lot. I can barely afford it though." Ayami thought.
"What if we preorder it? How long would we have to wait?" I asked hopefully.
"I'd say about 2 years, because thousands of people in Japan alone have already preordered it."
After the doctor said that, Ayami and I lost all hope to replace my legs.
Ayami sighed, "Well, I guess we should go now doctor. Come on Yumiko, I'll carry you out of here."
"It's okay, I'll carry her," Hanabashi offered voluntarily.
"Thank you, doctor. I guess you really are a gentleman after all," she chuckled. "Of course I am. Anyway, come back anytime if there's a problem." He said as he lifted me off the bed and carried me all the way to my aunt's car.
We left the hospital and Dr. Hanabashi and began driving to my house. The house that I have never saw.
As we were driving, I flipped open the mirror on the top of the car and looked at myself. I seemed to have changed quite a bit after the incident. There were still some bandages strapped around my head and on some upper parts of my body. My long light blue hair was all messy and stained with blood. There were a few scratches near my aqua green eyes, and noticeably big scars on my left eye and left arm. I hastily covered the scar on my left eye with the front part of my hair. That's pretty much the only differences.
"Shoot! There's traffic jam in front of us" Ayami sighed, "Well, it can't be helped. We'll just have to sit back and relax for the time being." Ayami stretched her arms and slanted her seat, closing her eyes.
I flipped back the mirror and looked through the front window, staring at the cars, shops, buildings, and people. I was just looking at the buildings when I noticed one of them had a big corner T.V attached onto it. It was showing two people fighting each other on a bright and flat stadium. Or were they? I then realized they were dolls fighting each other. The smaller doll had short red hair with a red type of suit. The slightly taller one had long white, beautiful hair and wore a cool white armor. Both of them were very quick and very skilled, as they were dodging and hitting each other back and forth. They seemed to be equally matched. In the background, I saw two people on the edge of their seats yelling at the dolls. I don't know what kind of game they're playing but for some reason I felt so excited.
"Um, auntie? What are those two people playing?" I asked eagerly, pointing at the T.V.
Ayami opened her eyes and looked. She smiled at me and closed her eyes, trying to relax again. "There are a lot of things you need to know about, so bear with me."
I nodded, saying yes.
"They're playing a game called Angelic Layer, where two people battle their dolls, called Angels, on a table called 'The Layer'. Each person or Deus wears a visor that lets them control their dolls through telepathy. It's very popular in Tokyo City and it's for all ages," she replied, "In order to make your own angel, you first have to buy an Angel Egg at a store called Piffle Princess. You can also buy clothing and other stuff over there too. Anyway, an Angel Egg is the first stage in the Angel Making Process, where the angel to be is in a small egg, surrounded by the absorption fluid, a type of water. When you open it, the fluid will leak out, leaving only the doll, which will be created, molded, and made into an angel of the creator's choice. Now, angels are each made differently, and can have different attributes. Some angels are made to be great in stamina but slow, and others are made to be great in speed, but are not as strong. The Deus must decide how s/he wants her/his angel to be. Now, I think I've said everything that you need to know about Angelic Layer. Seems interesting?"
"Definitely! From what you've said I feel really interested in making an angel myself," I said excitedly, "I really want to play Angelic Layer!"
Ayami smiled, "Oh, I forgot to tell you something! You know those two angels you just saw battling? That was last year's national championship match between the angels, Hikaru and Athena. The player with the red angel is the daughter of the white angel's Deus. They always switch back and forth each year as the champion. No one has ever beaten them before in Angelic Layer."
"Wow..." I said in amazement, as I was staring back at the T.V screen. The fight ended and the red angel, Hikaru, was the winner. I felt so excited I stopped worrying about the incident as we drove all the way home.
Ayami looked at me with those gentle eyes. Seems like she really wants to get one huh, brother? She thought to herself. Maybe I should ask Ichirou if he could give me an angel egg, rather than to buy it at a store with my own money...
-= End of Chapter 01 =-
"Ugh..." I groaned, as I woke up. Where am I? I thought to myself. I couldn't really remember anything.
I opened my eyes and looked around. It was morning and I was in a room that isn't my bedroom. However, it looked strangely familiar, as if I was here for many days. The walls were white and the sunlight shone through the windows. I looked to my right and saw some sort of device with a screen. It was then that I realized wires were attached to me and I was wearing an oxygen mask and a white robe.
I would've screamed and gone nuts, but I was too weak and tired to do so. I just laid on the bed looking at the dull, white ceiling wondering how I got into the hospital (I'm in a hospital, aren't I?). Just then, a black- haired man with glasses in a white coat entered the room. He looked at me and smiled.
"I see you've finally woken up," he said cheerfully, "My name is Dr. Hanabashi. You seem to be getting better now."
"Why... am I here?" I asked staring right at him.
The doctor's expression became sad now. "(Sigh) you were injured in a car crash many days ago. You were lucky to have survived as you were rushed to the hospital."
"What!?" I screamed, as I sat upright and grabbed him by the collar of his coat, "Car crash! Bull! I don't remember anything like that! What happened to my parents? Tell me!"
"Calm down and I'll tell you," he said softly, as he gently took my hands off of him. He took a deep breath, paused, and quietly said, "If you insist...Your parents were killed in the car crash. They died instantly, the moment they got hit by the other vehicle. I'm terribly sorry..."
There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, many images were flashing through my mind very quickly. The car, a bright light, my mom, my dad... They were images of what happened. They kept flashing in my mind one after another. Then I blacked out.
I was in the car with my mom and dad, and we were just driving along the highway. Yes, I remember now, we were driving to Tokyo City, because we moved there. Then as we were driving, I saw a car coming right at us. Its lights getting brighter... brighter... brighter... Suddenly, my mind went blank.
I woke up as quickly as that and opened my eyes, noticing a lady looking at me.
"Good morning, Yumiko-chan," she said cheerfully, "I've come to take you to your new home."
"Aunt Ayami..." I said quietly. Ayami is my dad's sister who lives in Tokyo City. She's kind, loving, and caring, but very strict and mean at work. She has long brown hair, blue eyes, slender, and short. She is pretty, but not as much as my mom though. Last time I heard about her job occupation, she was a model of some big doll company.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked Hanabashi, who was sitting right beside her, "You were asleep the entire day, yesterday."
"I'm okay now..." I replied as I looked at myself. The wires were gone and I no longer had the stupid mask and white dress. Someone dressed me up in a blue shirt and a white skirt. I sat up and try to stand. However, my legs couldn't move, as if I can't feel it.
"My legs... it won't move at all..." I said nervously in a low voice. I looked at the doctor...
"I forgot to tell you... both of your legs were permanently paralyzed," he said regretfully, with his face in a somber expression.
"You mean..." Ayami said in a scared voice, looking terrified.
The doctor sighed, "Yes, you know what I mean...Yumiko...will never be able to walk again for the rest of her entire life."
"What?!" I exclaimed and eyes wide open in total shock.
"But, can't we give her those artificial legs that I heard of?" Ayami asked.
The doctor paused and then said, "If you're talking about the moving one, they're currently in the making. It'll be released this winter, but many people have already preordered it and it's quite costly. It's about 14,000,000 yen."
"That is quite a lot. I can barely afford it though." Ayami thought.
"What if we preorder it? How long would we have to wait?" I asked hopefully.
"I'd say about 2 years, because thousands of people in Japan alone have already preordered it."
After the doctor said that, Ayami and I lost all hope to replace my legs.
Ayami sighed, "Well, I guess we should go now doctor. Come on Yumiko, I'll carry you out of here."
"It's okay, I'll carry her," Hanabashi offered voluntarily.
"Thank you, doctor. I guess you really are a gentleman after all," she chuckled. "Of course I am. Anyway, come back anytime if there's a problem." He said as he lifted me off the bed and carried me all the way to my aunt's car.
We left the hospital and Dr. Hanabashi and began driving to my house. The house that I have never saw.
As we were driving, I flipped open the mirror on the top of the car and looked at myself. I seemed to have changed quite a bit after the incident. There were still some bandages strapped around my head and on some upper parts of my body. My long light blue hair was all messy and stained with blood. There were a few scratches near my aqua green eyes, and noticeably big scars on my left eye and left arm. I hastily covered the scar on my left eye with the front part of my hair. That's pretty much the only differences.
"Shoot! There's traffic jam in front of us" Ayami sighed, "Well, it can't be helped. We'll just have to sit back and relax for the time being." Ayami stretched her arms and slanted her seat, closing her eyes.
I flipped back the mirror and looked through the front window, staring at the cars, shops, buildings, and people. I was just looking at the buildings when I noticed one of them had a big corner T.V attached onto it. It was showing two people fighting each other on a bright and flat stadium. Or were they? I then realized they were dolls fighting each other. The smaller doll had short red hair with a red type of suit. The slightly taller one had long white, beautiful hair and wore a cool white armor. Both of them were very quick and very skilled, as they were dodging and hitting each other back and forth. They seemed to be equally matched. In the background, I saw two people on the edge of their seats yelling at the dolls. I don't know what kind of game they're playing but for some reason I felt so excited.
"Um, auntie? What are those two people playing?" I asked eagerly, pointing at the T.V.
Ayami opened her eyes and looked. She smiled at me and closed her eyes, trying to relax again. "There are a lot of things you need to know about, so bear with me."
I nodded, saying yes.
"They're playing a game called Angelic Layer, where two people battle their dolls, called Angels, on a table called 'The Layer'. Each person or Deus wears a visor that lets them control their dolls through telepathy. It's very popular in Tokyo City and it's for all ages," she replied, "In order to make your own angel, you first have to buy an Angel Egg at a store called Piffle Princess. You can also buy clothing and other stuff over there too. Anyway, an Angel Egg is the first stage in the Angel Making Process, where the angel to be is in a small egg, surrounded by the absorption fluid, a type of water. When you open it, the fluid will leak out, leaving only the doll, which will be created, molded, and made into an angel of the creator's choice. Now, angels are each made differently, and can have different attributes. Some angels are made to be great in stamina but slow, and others are made to be great in speed, but are not as strong. The Deus must decide how s/he wants her/his angel to be. Now, I think I've said everything that you need to know about Angelic Layer. Seems interesting?"
"Definitely! From what you've said I feel really interested in making an angel myself," I said excitedly, "I really want to play Angelic Layer!"
Ayami smiled, "Oh, I forgot to tell you something! You know those two angels you just saw battling? That was last year's national championship match between the angels, Hikaru and Athena. The player with the red angel is the daughter of the white angel's Deus. They always switch back and forth each year as the champion. No one has ever beaten them before in Angelic Layer."
"Wow..." I said in amazement, as I was staring back at the T.V screen. The fight ended and the red angel, Hikaru, was the winner. I felt so excited I stopped worrying about the incident as we drove all the way home.
Ayami looked at me with those gentle eyes. Seems like she really wants to get one huh, brother? She thought to herself. Maybe I should ask Ichirou if he could give me an angel egg, rather than to buy it at a store with my own money...
-= End of Chapter 01 =-