Aishuu Offers
Prince of the Layer
~ An Angelic Layer Prelude Fanfiction ~
Disclaimer: All Hail CLAMP!! All Hail CLAMP!
Part of the "Obscurely CLAMP" challenge!
Dedication: To two writers who inspire me in their own unique ways: Gabi-hime, whose Angelic Layer fanfics really set the standards and fascinate me, and Miyamoto Yui, whose persistence and sheer versatility never ceases to amaze and goad me into taking action of my own.
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Chapter One: Birth
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Mihara Oujirou was a popular student, in a quiet sort of way. The girls liked him and the boys respected him, though no one was a close friend. There was something about him that was aloof, and though his soft smiles were readily available, no one in his school ever saw the impish side to his personality that would later drive his future girlfriend to blushes whenever he started to tease her.
He was still thinking about his older brother's concerns nine months later when he overheard a small argument break out among his classmates. As a final year middle school student, he had been elected class representative, so it was his job to sort out the scuffle before it required more serious attention. Oujirou set down the English book he had been studying from, and turned his sharp blue eyes to the center of the classroom, where half the girls in the classroom had aligned against half the boys. Oh no, he thought. It's the battle of the sexes. These were always his least favorite messes to sort out.
"It's not fair for Hiroshi to enter the tournament!" one of the girls was saying, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward, glaring at the boys. "Angelic Layer was designed for girls, and he shouldn't invade our fun!" she was saying.
"But the prizes they're offering are too good to pass up!" the boy argued. "It's open to everyone."
One girl, Himeya Kazeni snorted, tossing her head. Her long black braids went flying, and Oujirou watched as she advanced on her prey. "It's something for girls... besides, guys never win!" she said.
The girls applauded her, and Oujirou winced. This attitude was not a good thing, especially from Himeya. Himeya was a ranking player, and what she said carried a lot of weight. Time to nip this in the bud, he thought. He rose to his feet and made his way over, carefully positioning himself between groups. "I think it's just because guys haven't really made the effort yet; when the Angelic Layer line came out, it was targeting for a female audience, true. But on the Layer, nothing matters but the fight."
Everyone turned to face him, surprised that he'd spoken up. His reputation for quiet wisdom was such that he rarely involved himself in squabbles unless they were about to disrupt the harmony of the class; this one was relatively minor. "What do you know? I've never seen you in a tournament!" Himeya challenged.
"Never entered one," Oujirou murmured. "Never saw competitive gaming as the way to go." Though I wonder... if I did it, would others follow me? Would guys start to enter the world of the Layer, after seeing another male win?
She sniffed. "Well, then, be quiet, Mihara-kun. Boys don't belong on the Layer!" She turned her attention back to Hiroshi, clearly meaning to extract some kind of promise to keep him from playing.
Oujirou sighed a bit inside his head. Being known for being restrained made people automatically assume he was docile. "No, Himeya-san. I won't. You're discriminating. It doesn't matter if you're discriminating against a guy, it's still discrimination," he insisted. How many times does this scene repeat itself across the country? he wondered. How many guys are scared out of playing by girls, since it's a "girl's game?" The thought of Shuuko, patiently waiting for the data they needed to build her artificial legs, spurred him on.
Himeya twisted back around, and her eyes flashed a bit in surprise, but more with anger. "Mihara-kun, you're acting weird. I always thought you were nice, but..." she said, and her pretty face twisted with dislike.
"How about you challenge him?" another voice said, and a blonde girl emerged from the crowd. "Seems a fair way to settle it."
The two blinked at the prettiest girl in class, and incidentally Himeya's best friend. Suzuki Azami gave them a vapid smile, and she clenched her hands eagerly. "Tomorrow is Sunday, so we have the full day off; Mihara-kun can get what he needs tonight, if he doesn't have an angel."
Himeya smiled like a cat about to pounce onto a full dish of cream. "Fine. Tomorrow, one o'clock, at the Piffle Princess. You willing to fight for what you believe?" she asked.
Oujirou felt something swell up inside him. She had challenged him because she was sure could totally destroy him; she had made it to last year's Kansai quarterfinals... but he was the second most experience Angelic Layer player there was, not that anyone knew that. He gave her a smile, feeling the mischievous side of his personality well up. Oh, this was going to be fun...
"Sure. I'll be there," he said, giving her a sweet smile that believed the wicked laughter he wanted to indulge in.
Around them, the class was silent.
*
He could call his brother, and have one of the new prototypes delivered to him, but that really wouldn't be fair. I should use the same equipment everyone has available, he decided. I need to do this on my own.
He sighed a bit, shoving his hands in his pockets as he headed to the Kobe branch of the Piffle Princess.
This really wasn't what he wanted to do, but hearing the same attitudes that were barring his brother's work and preventing Shuuko from getting what she so desperately needed had inflamed something inside of him. His temper, which rarely was seen, had came out with a vengeance, getting him in over his head. He hated making a spectacle of himself, and being the center of attention was the last place he wanted to be.
So I have a day to design a doll and beat a girl who managed to make it to the Kansai semi-finals... simple. He laughed a bit as he opened the door and immediately went to the Angelic Layer display. "Oh, man," he muttered.
"Hello, Mihara-kun!" a cheerful voice said from his side. "Buying your stuff? There's no way you're going to win, so you might as well back out," Suzuki Azami continued. "Save yourself a bit of money... you could even take me on a date with it..."
He gave her a patient smile. "Even if I don't win, I'll make my point," he said softly, scanning the merchandise. He had to give his brother credit; he had hired some wonderfully talented marketing managers. The wide selection of accessories and dolls was almost dizzying, and he would wager that his brother was getting steadily richer. Even if the research failed, Mihara Ichirou would be a very wealthy man before all was said and done.
"Which is?" Suzuki asked, peeking at his serious face. Her golden curls framed her brown eyes attractively, and he knew that she was going to start flirting with him again.
"That the world of the Layer is for everyone," he said softly. "It doesn't matter who the Deus is when the fight begins. All that matters is the fight." He walked over to the starter kits, and started to examine the newest ones, which his brother had him help test, as he always had done before. He and Shuuko always tested the prototypes together before they were released. The three latest series were pretty good, but he preferred the Angelic Dance line; they were sensitive to the Deus... hard for a beginner to control, but for an experienced Deus, they were without peer.
He reached out for the female angels starter kit, since ninety-five percent of angels were female, but paused after a moment's thought. We're going to be together for a while, and I can't tell a woman everything, he thought, and he found himself grabbing one of the rare male kits without thinking. "I think this will do," he said.
Suzuki watched him as he started to look through the clothing materials thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want that model? I'd go with the Angelic Fight model... it's a bit easier to control..."
"No, this will work," Oujirou said, watching her and she twisted a stray bit of hair between her fingers. He picked up a maintenance package, trying not to get too frustrated at the materials for the clothes. Really, I should tell niisan that some clothes should be pre-designed... I can't sew to save my life... He picked out a large array of blue materials, figuring they would all match, and decided to ask his mother to help. She'd probably make him trade a few chores, but it'd be worth it.
"Are you getting any accessories?" Suzuki wanted to know.
"No. The regulation layers don't allow them, so I had better not learn to depend on them, either," he said.
"You... plan on playing again? After Kazeni plays you?"
He laughed. "Well, it'd be stupid of me to but all this for just one match, wouldn't it?" he asked. Oujirou headed over to the counter and paid, wincing a bit at the total. Suzuki trailed him, batting her long lashes and chattering aimlessly, giving him advice, most of which was wrong or useless. He knew that some of the technology was expensive, but he mentally added another 0 to the end of what he had estimated his brother's income was. Niisan... you are going to pay me back for this. Somehow.
When they reached the door, he bowed to her. "Now that you've seen what I've bought, be sure to accurately report it to Himeya-san. I know what Tigra is capable of, so I figured it was only fair she knows what I had to work with."
Suzuki looked at him, her mouth a bit slack, before she started to laugh. Her expression gained about two degrees of intelligence. "Oh, you!" she said as she straightened her hair, and a playful grin came to her lips. "Well, they say it's always the quiet ones! Mihara-kun, you are quite interesting." She spun around and started to walk away. When she had made it about ten feet, she looked over her shoulder and winked. "You're so mysterious! Now I really am interested in you!"
Oujirou watched her go, wondering. It would be the first of many times that women would confound him utterly.
*
He looked at the bathtub a bit dubiously. Opening the egg in the water was another thing that his niisan had designed into the angels, but it made it embarrassing for a guy. Guys did not want to take a bath with a doll. "Niisan, you are so out of touch with the real world," he muttered. Still, it needed to be done, and while he could just dunk it into the sink and do it that way, he understood that this was part of the bonding process between Deus and Angel.
"Here goes," Oujirou mutter, grabbing the egg, and getting into the tub. "I feel ridiculous." The egg cracked, and the small shape that would become the core of his Angel fell into his hands.
Oujirou studied it. He knew more about its design than almost anyone except his brother and a few selection members of the corporation, but there was something almost magically about watching its birth. This doll would become something special; he would mold it into one of the best angels on the Layer. He would take it all the way to the Championship, to show Shuuko and his niisan how much he loved the both of them. "Hello," he whispered to it, allowing the egg it had come from to float away on the water so he could cradle it in his both hands. "We have a long way to go together."
The doll's skeleton was as of yet unshaped, but Oujirou felt a surprising love for it, knowing that this time, it would be all him in control of this angel, rather than a prototype he would hand off as a success or failure. Is this why people love Angelic Layer so fiercely? he wondered. I want it for Shuuko and niisan... but maybe I can find something for myself there.
It was a disturbing and strangely tantalizing thought for one who had always sought company so much older than he was. He was so much more mature than his age group, but on the Layer.. who knew who he would meet.
Half an hour later found Oujirou at his desk, thoughtfully fiddling with various combinations of point distribution and other design schematics. He wanted a doll that was fast, but he needed strength as well. He needed...
A knock sounded on the door. "Ou-chan? I brought you a snack," his mother called.
"Come in," he said, and the door cracked. The older woman entered, carrying a tray with two tall glasses of milk with a platter heaped with homemade cookies.
He smiled at her, unable to stop himself. She had the same blue eyes he did, but her long hair was a deeper black, lacking the blue highlights people found so fascinating about his own. She had a young face, and was constantly busy with her life and successful at almost anything she undertook, but the one thing she couldn't do was cook. He eyed the cookies on the tray a bit suspiciously. "Were you in a baking mood today?"
"Your grandmother sent them over. They're safe," she assured him, grabbing an oatmeal raisin cookie and one of the glasses and settling down on his bed. She looked at his project curiously. "Did your brother ask you to test something new for him?"
He shook his head in the negative. "I got challenged by a girl in my class who said that guys don't belong on the Layer, so I needed to make an angel of my own."
His mother burst out laughing. "That poor girl has no idea what she's getting into, does she?"
"She made it to the Kansai quarterfinals last time, so she's pretty good. And I have no official Angelic Layer record, so..."
"Mihara Oujirou!" his mother said sternly, before ruining it by cracking up again. "Why are you bothering? You hate confrontation. Usually you're so laid back that you'd talk your way out of this..."
He considered another spec combination before discarding them, then turned and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate was a personal addiction of his. "Niisan is having problems getting data on male players..." he said softly. "Someone needs to shatter the stereotype of female-only players being superior."
His mother's expression softened. "Have you told him what you intend to do? I'm sure he could help you, get you some-"
"No," he said firmly. "And you'd better not tell him, either," he said, wagging a finger in her face. "I need to do this on my own. I don't want anyone to say that my brother eased my way." He sighed as another spec combination didn't work out the way he wanted it to. "I wish I knew how to spread the points, though. I could make a speed type, like Athena, but that's not my style. I want an angel that reflects myself."
"Then make it like Oujirou," his mother suggested. "Strong and fast, who doesn't really on weight." She smiled at him. "You should balance your strength and speed... but remember, when Oujirou does something, Oujirou does it by thinking."
Oujirou blinked at her. "I've never seen an angel that does that, but..." He typed in the specs, one that had strength and speed, but little weight. The dynamics of it were odd, and it would require skill to control, a sharp and ready mind, but Oujirou knew he could handle it. The angel would be agile and swift, but able to back up its attacks with force. However, controlling it... with a smile, he hit the accept key.
"Angel name..." He stared at the flashing cursor for a second, trying to imagine something that he'd be able to live with. The girls all got so fanciful, but he was, as everyone repeatedly told him, practical. "I have no clue." He turned pleading eyes on his mother.
She merely grabbed another cookie, and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Traitor," he muttered. Well, what was he going to do? His eyes skating through the room, trying to find something that would work. Pen, manga, book, pictures, wand... His eyes fixated on the wand, one of the few remnants of his childhood he had kept. He hurriedly entered the katakana that spelled out the name, and smiled as the completion noticed flashed.
"Hello, Wizard."
*
His mother had made Wizard's outfit for him, making him agree to cook dinner for a week in exchange. When she gave him the clothes, though, he knew it had been a good deal, for the clothing was simply perfect, stylish yet suitable for fighting. They suited Wizard's shocking ice-blue hair wonderfully.
He left before nine a.m. to the Piffle Princess to rent one of the private rooms. They weren't cheap, but he figured that he could always ask his niisan for a reimbursement if he got pinched for funds; not that it was likely, since Oujirou tended to save all his money and had a nice stash built up. He wanted a private session with his angel to understand the doll's quirks, since Wizard's schematics were quite unique.
Only the most obsessive players were out before noon on a Sunday, so Oujirou was able to get the room without a problem. The private rooms allowed players to make mistakes with no audience, and the high level players liked to use them to try new moves in secret. No one knew him as Mihara Ichirou's younger brother, which was a relief. He sighed a bit as he put on the visor, finding it a bit different than the testing models they used in the labs. The wings of the side of the headset were annoying. Still, he flicked it on, and the Layer came into focus.
"Okay, Wizard. Let's do your first entrance." He sat the doll on his wrist and tossed it, never having actually done an entry before.
It was embarrassing. Wizard wobbled in the air before hitting the Layer's field. His eyes came open under his own visor, and he spun through the air sleepily, coming around to face Oujirou. The angel seemed so intent on his flight that he forgot about landing. Only at the last minute did Wizard remember, and Oujirou winced in sympathy as Wizard landed on his knees.
"Oops. Let's try that again." He scooped the angel off the Layer and practiced again, doing about ten Entry Angels before coming up with one that was satisfactory. Wizard drifted down slowly, his face serene as he touched down, his hand touching the ground between his feet before he straightened, surveying the Layer majestically. "I think we have that. Now how about some practice," Oujirou said, starting out by having Wizard do a cartwheel.
Wizard responded instantly, and Oujirou smiled. "You're wonderful," he complimented the angel. "Now how about a few more?" he asked, leading the angel into more and more complex gymnastics, then through some basics katas he and Shuuko always used before turning on some music to work on his timing. The time flew as he and his angel learned about each other. Wizard was quick and strong, and would require careful handling, but if he treated him right, then Wizard would do whatever he asked.
Finally the clock read five minutes of one, and he realized that Himeya Kazeni would be there for their match. He hoped she had gotten the Layer, because he had forgotten. He blushed a bit as grabbed Wizard. It wasn't his nature to leave things up for chance. The private room wouldn't be large enough for the audience Himeya would gather, because she was one of the top players in the area.
As he left the room, he noticed the press of people around. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded. There were many girls there, but the number of guys was surprising as well. The snatches of conversation he overheard explained it, and he forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself.
"Tigra is fighting..."
"...challenged a guy to keep the Layer..."
"...may be dumb, but he's cute..."
"....wonder if he'll run away?"
Oujirou forced the pleasant smile that people associated with him to his face as he waded through the crowd, keeping Wizard safely in his bag. Finally his eye landed on Suzuki, who seemed to be looking around for someone. "Excuse me, Suzuki-san, but is Himeya-san around?" he asked.
The blonde's eyes widened and she darted through the people, grabbing his hand. "THERE you are, Mihara-kun!" she announced loudly.
All conversation in their immediate vicinity stopped and Oujirou felt a hundred pairs of eyes turn to focus on him. He forced himself to remain serene. "Is she getting the Layer? I'm afraid I forgot to, and neither of us mentioned those particular arrangements..." he said, pretending that no one was listening except for Suzuki.
Suzuki looked a bit apprehension. "Um, actually, she's getting you two paired for the next tournament. You're slated to begin in five minutes. This will go on your official record. I'm sorry, she's really angry and wants to bring you down quite spectacularly. You really don't deserve to be the target of her vendetta against the male gender. You're so nice-"
Oujirou gave Suzuki a soft smile. "It's okay. I can handle myself."
She bit her lower lip. "I-"
"How about we get going? I need to get there or else I'll forfeit by not showing." He nodded and started for the tournament table, knowing that Suzuki really didn't bear him any ill will. It was sweet of her to be so concerned.
The tournament area was packed, and he knew that most people were there to see Tigra destroy him. He saw members of his class, and some of the boys gave him encouraging cheers, but the girls glared at him for daring to enter their turf. The empty challenger's chair challenged him subtly, so Oujirou smoothly walked over to it, knowing that it was showtime.
The announcer, a pretty woman in her twenties, came over to him as he started to survey his equipment. "I need your name and the name of your angel," she said. "And I wanted to tell you that you're one of the bravest guys I've met - or one of the stupidest. Taking Tigra on as your first match..." She shook her head.
"Mihara Oujirou, Angel Wizard," he said. He noticed her eyes widening a bit at his name, and winked. "Maybe I'm not the one who's going to learn the lesson, no?" he asked with amusement.
She looked at his face, and gave him a small grin. "You don't look much like your brother."
"Stepbrothers," he murmured. "Keep it quiet; I'm here on my own. I'm not involved in niisan's work officially, so I'm not breaking any of the rules."
She winked right back at him. "I won't. But I'm not going to call you a rookie. I bet you've been playing longer than anyone here."
"Wizard is the rookie. I just designed him last night." Oujirou replied, finding the announcer interesting. She was smart to recognize his name and make the connection right away.
"Well, I won't wish you luck. I think Tigra is the one who'll need it," she replied. She stepped back, allowing him to extract Wizard from his traveling case.
Oujirou noticed many people examining the male angel, and heard disparaging comments about chauvinism and how female angels fought better; patently untrue, since angel gender had nothing to do with performance. He slid the goggles on and sat Wizard on his wrist before looking across the Layer at Himeya, who was talking to Tigra.
Tigra was a cat-girl angel, designed with tiger striped clothing and orange and black hair that fell to her waist. Oujirou had examined her specs and found her to be quite powerful, but she had two primary flaws. One was that she relied on the Tiger's Pounce, her finishing attack too much, something that many higher-level angels fell into the pattern of doing. The other was more subtle, but Oujirou intending on exploiting it. She tended to pause between her attacks, because while she had good speed for short distance, her speed for long stretches wouldn't hold. Her stamina, quite frankly, was poor. Small weaknesses, and on lower-level play they wouldn't be discernable, but Oujirou was about to show her that he wasn't the cat's toy.
Himeya looked up at him. "Still time to back out, Mihara-kun. You're a nice guy, but I can't figure out why you got it into your head to become the guy's advocate on this."
"Because on the Layer, it doesn't matter who you are... all that matters is the fight. So far the female Deuses have been doing better, but that doesn't mean the male Deuses can't win."
Her black eyes flashed and she grabbed her headset, and clicked it on. The wings on either side flared. "It's for girls!"
He sighed. "Well, let our angels show what guys and girls can do, won't we?" he asked, turning his head to the announcer and tapping the button that turned his headset to triggered his connection to the Layer. "Shall we begin?"
"In the East corner, Mihara Oujirou, Angel Wizard!"
He smiled a bit, knowing that this was time to stage on. He looked at Wizard and smiled slightly. "Work your magic, Wizard," he said clearly. He hated flashy and flamboyant entry phrases, but he knew style was a large part of Angelic Layer. "Angel, fall in!" he called, flicking his wrist, sending Wizard flying into the Layer.
Wizard came down just as he had the final times of practice, majestic and imposing. His fingertips brushed the Layer's floor before he rose, opening his eyes to survey the fighting arena. Oujirou tuned the whispers out, and focused on Himeya, who glared even harder.
"Just because you can do an entry doesn't mean anything! Tigra, it's time for the cat to play!" she announced, throwing her angel in. Tigra soared as well, but as soon as she hit the field, her expression came to life, and she came crashing down, a feral expression on her face. She looked ready to tear Wizard to shreds.
"Angelic Fight!" the announcer said, and Tigra sprung into motion.
Oujirou watched as Tigra raced towards Wizard. The cat-like angel moved low to the ground, and her hands were poised to grab his waist. He had Wizard wait until the last second, then instead of meeting the attack, simply sidestepped.
"And Wizard avoids Tigra's attack!" the announcer exclaimed.
The audience whispered, as Tigra stumbled, not expecting such a simple evasion. Most new players tried to fight, not evade. "Well... I'll need to do something different, won't I?" Himeya said, and Tigra did a backwalkover, spinning around to face Wizard.
Wizard watched, unimpressed. Tigra fell into a crouch, then began the whirling cartwheel, one of the basic Layer moves that was hard to carry through. If it struck, it would deal some heavy damage points to Wizard... if not, then the time wasted carrying it out would cost her.
"Tigra launches into the Whirling Cartwheel, one of the Layer's most damaging attacks! What will Wizard do?" The announcer's voice rose over the crowd's murmurs of admiration for Tigra's form.
Oujirou smiled a bit. He and Shuuko had developed a counter to it. He waited until Tigra was a twist and a half away, and unable to pull out before having Wizard lean over backwards into a handstand. Again he could hear the crowd murmuring, but he threw Wizard's feet forward, timing it so it hit Tigra directly in the stomach. The force he applied wasn't that much, but her own momentum sent her spinning the other way, and precariously close to the Layer's edge. Wizard came to his feet, just as serene and icy as ever, waiting for Tigra to come to her feet, rather than pressing the attack.
"Tigra loses a third of her points! Wizard counters the Whirling Cartwheel with... well, I've never seen it before! We'll need to name it, won't we?" the announcer said.
"It's called the Trance Breaker..." Oujirou said. He looked across the Layer at Himeya, who was staring at him in amazement. "And maybe it's broken your trance... are you ready to take me seriously now?"
The crowd was staring at him in quiet awe. He was sitting with perfect confidence, a slight smile dancing on his lips after sending one of the most powerful angels flying.
"Luck..." she whispered, bringing a wincing Tigra to her feet.
"Is it? Well, I guess Wizard and I should get back to work, then." He placed his arms on the chair, glanced at Tigra's position, and leapt.
Due to Wizard's light bodyweight, he moved so quickly it seemed as though he was flying, though he didn't have the wings that Shuuko somehow managed to command for Athena. Tigra stared up for a second before jumping as well, trying to wrap a hand around his neck. He avoided her, bringing a foot up and chopping her in the head. Had he angled it a bit more sharply, it would have thrust her from the Layer, but he wasn't done yet.
"Tigra falls to the ground! This has been all about Wizard! Can Tigra get her strength back and defeat the challenger?"
The battle was thrilling, and he didn't want it to end so easily, not before he truly began to press an attack. Wizard glided down to Tigra's side, and he waited for her to rise, and she swung a fast punch, which he dodged.
"Tigra launches a series of close-range attacks! Wizard avoids them easily!"
The slight pause he had noticed in her fighting was there, he noticed as she launched her second attack, which he evaded just as easily. "You know, Himeya-san," he said conversationally as Wizard ducked a kick, "you're pretty good. But you have two major weaknesses."
Her eyes widened in horror as he kept avoiding her attempted to hit Wizard. "One is... that you have little defense. You leave yourself open after each attack." He finally took and opening and kicked her in the chin. "Like so." Then he flipped away, knowing that he had just goaded her into highlighting her second weakness.
"Wizard lands an attack before retreating! With two minutes left, Tigra has to make a recovery or lose by point count!"
Sweat beaded on her forehead. "I... I..."
Tigra fell to all fours before raising her hindquarters like a sprinter in the starting blocks. The angel leapt into the air, her hands extended like claws and Oujirou sighed. "Your other fault is you rely too much on your finishing move." He said, and everyone watched as Wizard, instead of evading, caught Tigra in his arms and did a rolling throw, sending her near the edge.
"Tigra launches into the Tiger's Pounce, but is defeated by Wizard's throw. Most people try to evade it, and get hit by the second stage, or fight it, and get hit, but I've never seen anyone throw it..." The announcer sounded impressed.
The feline angel wobbled, but Oujirou decided to end it. He sent Wizard over to Tigra, and Tigra's eyes widened in horror as the blue angel simply shoved her off the edge of the Layer.
"Angel Out! Wizard Wins!" The announcer said.
There was dead silence as Oujirou removed his visor, and went to retrieve Wizard. Tigra lay on the floor where she had fallen, and he scooped her up as well, bringing her over to the shocked Himeya. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
The girl looked up at the concerned eyes of her classmate, amazed. She had expected gloating triumph, but then she had forgotten that Oujirou tended towards shyness, and was one of the gentlest guys in school. "How?" she whispered. "You didn't even lose any points!"
He smiled and knelt down beside her, handing her Tigra. "I studied you and Tigra, of course, so I knew your weaknesses. Your main mistake was underestimating me. Just because I haven't played any tournaments doesn't mean I don't know how the game works."
She took the doll, stroking Tigra's hair gently. "Maybe I should quit."
He looked at her in horror. He hadn't intended to make her quit! "No! I plan on entering the Kobe tournament, and it'd be nice to see at least one face I know!" he said. "Besides.. I pointed out your weaknesses, so now you can work on them, right?"
She nodded. "But I was so mean to you about..."
"On the Layer, it doesn't matter who we are. All that matters is the fight," he said. "And now that you know... well, you'll treat everyone more fairly, right?"
Himeya smiled. "I will. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You goaded me into doing something I should have done a while ago... so we both learned from it, no?" he asked. "Anyway, I needed to get going. I have to make dinner tonight." He made a face, and rose to his feet. "See you in class tomorrow!" he called, waving to her.
The crowd parted before him, staring at him with respect. He listened to the conversation, smiling as he caught snatches, so different from it had been when he had entered.
"...so cute, and so nice!"
"...can do it, maybe I should start playing competitively."
"...that move of his was so neat!"
"...Kobe! I'm going to go cheer..."
Back at the table, Suzuki Azami helped her best friend pack up. "He was really nice, wasn't he?"
Himeya Kazeni nodded. "I was so surprised. We're going to go to Kobe together. I wonder if we'll play each other."
Azami looked troubled. "That'd be a problem. I'd have no clue who to cheer for!"
Kazeni gave her friend a smile. "Do you know, I might just have the same problem? Thing is, if I fight him there, I think he'd win, no matter how much better I got. He wasn't fighting with everything he had today," she told the blond.
"What?" Azami asked. "He totally blew you out of the water, and he wasn't fighting with everything?"
"Mihara-kun was only trying to teach me a lesson. Had he really been fighting, I wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds. But he's such a gentleman that he didn't embarrass me that badly," Kazeni said, and her eyes were soft. "He gave me a chance."
"He was like a prince out of a storybook..." Azami mused.
END PART ONE
Notes: This was supposed to be... 2,000 words. 3,000 words, TOPS, for a section. After I broke 5,000, I started to have doubts whether I'd finish in time for the Obscurely CLAMP challenge, since there's four parts slated (with a possible epilogue!). And ONLY four parts! REALLY! But I'm going to try to get as much done as possible before Jan. 31, and then just keep releasing - there's no sense in rushing if that means the piece suffers, is there?
I'm following the timeline laid out in the AL anime subs I have. It states Misaki enters the FOURTH tournament, the Shuu had won THREE, and that Oujirou is entering his THIRD. So... here's how it works:
Prince of the Layer is set in Oujirou's last middle school year, equivalent to the US's ninth grade (That would be when he's 14/15). The Angelic Layer tournaments began in the prologue, which was set in his second year. I've seen some other interpretations, and they're probably right, but this is my story, and for the purposes of the fic, I'm sticking to it.
Oujirou lives in Kobe, so he would first go to the Kobe match, then to Kansai, then to the Championship. Since we all know how good he is, I assume since he's playing his third when he plays Misaki (when he's 17), he's been defeated by Shuuko twice in the finals.
Wizard's name would most likely be spelled in katakana when entered into the computer - it's how the Japanese spell foreign words.
In episode 23, we do see Oujirou wearing a winged headset in the lab as a child, but usually Shuu doesn't. I'm going to assume for testing purposes, they use more sensitive headsets to get more complete readings.
Thanks to Bejiin for answering my katakana question (and saving me from the hiragana- I always get the two confused!), Lyra from editing, being my Girl Friday by uploading, grabbing Oujirou's stats when I couldn't get my comp to cooperate and in general being the best imouto I could wish for.
Feedback is the motivator and prioritizer.
Prince of the Layer
~ An Angelic Layer Prelude Fanfiction ~
Disclaimer: All Hail CLAMP!! All Hail CLAMP!
Part of the "Obscurely CLAMP" challenge!
Dedication: To two writers who inspire me in their own unique ways: Gabi-hime, whose Angelic Layer fanfics really set the standards and fascinate me, and Miyamoto Yui, whose persistence and sheer versatility never ceases to amaze and goad me into taking action of my own.
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Chapter One: Birth
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mihara Oujirou was a popular student, in a quiet sort of way. The girls liked him and the boys respected him, though no one was a close friend. There was something about him that was aloof, and though his soft smiles were readily available, no one in his school ever saw the impish side to his personality that would later drive his future girlfriend to blushes whenever he started to tease her.
He was still thinking about his older brother's concerns nine months later when he overheard a small argument break out among his classmates. As a final year middle school student, he had been elected class representative, so it was his job to sort out the scuffle before it required more serious attention. Oujirou set down the English book he had been studying from, and turned his sharp blue eyes to the center of the classroom, where half the girls in the classroom had aligned against half the boys. Oh no, he thought. It's the battle of the sexes. These were always his least favorite messes to sort out.
"It's not fair for Hiroshi to enter the tournament!" one of the girls was saying, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward, glaring at the boys. "Angelic Layer was designed for girls, and he shouldn't invade our fun!" she was saying.
"But the prizes they're offering are too good to pass up!" the boy argued. "It's open to everyone."
One girl, Himeya Kazeni snorted, tossing her head. Her long black braids went flying, and Oujirou watched as she advanced on her prey. "It's something for girls... besides, guys never win!" she said.
The girls applauded her, and Oujirou winced. This attitude was not a good thing, especially from Himeya. Himeya was a ranking player, and what she said carried a lot of weight. Time to nip this in the bud, he thought. He rose to his feet and made his way over, carefully positioning himself between groups. "I think it's just because guys haven't really made the effort yet; when the Angelic Layer line came out, it was targeting for a female audience, true. But on the Layer, nothing matters but the fight."
Everyone turned to face him, surprised that he'd spoken up. His reputation for quiet wisdom was such that he rarely involved himself in squabbles unless they were about to disrupt the harmony of the class; this one was relatively minor. "What do you know? I've never seen you in a tournament!" Himeya challenged.
"Never entered one," Oujirou murmured. "Never saw competitive gaming as the way to go." Though I wonder... if I did it, would others follow me? Would guys start to enter the world of the Layer, after seeing another male win?
She sniffed. "Well, then, be quiet, Mihara-kun. Boys don't belong on the Layer!" She turned her attention back to Hiroshi, clearly meaning to extract some kind of promise to keep him from playing.
Oujirou sighed a bit inside his head. Being known for being restrained made people automatically assume he was docile. "No, Himeya-san. I won't. You're discriminating. It doesn't matter if you're discriminating against a guy, it's still discrimination," he insisted. How many times does this scene repeat itself across the country? he wondered. How many guys are scared out of playing by girls, since it's a "girl's game?" The thought of Shuuko, patiently waiting for the data they needed to build her artificial legs, spurred him on.
Himeya twisted back around, and her eyes flashed a bit in surprise, but more with anger. "Mihara-kun, you're acting weird. I always thought you were nice, but..." she said, and her pretty face twisted with dislike.
"How about you challenge him?" another voice said, and a blonde girl emerged from the crowd. "Seems a fair way to settle it."
The two blinked at the prettiest girl in class, and incidentally Himeya's best friend. Suzuki Azami gave them a vapid smile, and she clenched her hands eagerly. "Tomorrow is Sunday, so we have the full day off; Mihara-kun can get what he needs tonight, if he doesn't have an angel."
Himeya smiled like a cat about to pounce onto a full dish of cream. "Fine. Tomorrow, one o'clock, at the Piffle Princess. You willing to fight for what you believe?" she asked.
Oujirou felt something swell up inside him. She had challenged him because she was sure could totally destroy him; she had made it to last year's Kansai quarterfinals... but he was the second most experience Angelic Layer player there was, not that anyone knew that. He gave her a smile, feeling the mischievous side of his personality well up. Oh, this was going to be fun...
"Sure. I'll be there," he said, giving her a sweet smile that believed the wicked laughter he wanted to indulge in.
Around them, the class was silent.
*
He could call his brother, and have one of the new prototypes delivered to him, but that really wouldn't be fair. I should use the same equipment everyone has available, he decided. I need to do this on my own.
He sighed a bit, shoving his hands in his pockets as he headed to the Kobe branch of the Piffle Princess.
This really wasn't what he wanted to do, but hearing the same attitudes that were barring his brother's work and preventing Shuuko from getting what she so desperately needed had inflamed something inside of him. His temper, which rarely was seen, had came out with a vengeance, getting him in over his head. He hated making a spectacle of himself, and being the center of attention was the last place he wanted to be.
So I have a day to design a doll and beat a girl who managed to make it to the Kansai semi-finals... simple. He laughed a bit as he opened the door and immediately went to the Angelic Layer display. "Oh, man," he muttered.
"Hello, Mihara-kun!" a cheerful voice said from his side. "Buying your stuff? There's no way you're going to win, so you might as well back out," Suzuki Azami continued. "Save yourself a bit of money... you could even take me on a date with it..."
He gave her a patient smile. "Even if I don't win, I'll make my point," he said softly, scanning the merchandise. He had to give his brother credit; he had hired some wonderfully talented marketing managers. The wide selection of accessories and dolls was almost dizzying, and he would wager that his brother was getting steadily richer. Even if the research failed, Mihara Ichirou would be a very wealthy man before all was said and done.
"Which is?" Suzuki asked, peeking at his serious face. Her golden curls framed her brown eyes attractively, and he knew that she was going to start flirting with him again.
"That the world of the Layer is for everyone," he said softly. "It doesn't matter who the Deus is when the fight begins. All that matters is the fight." He walked over to the starter kits, and started to examine the newest ones, which his brother had him help test, as he always had done before. He and Shuuko always tested the prototypes together before they were released. The three latest series were pretty good, but he preferred the Angelic Dance line; they were sensitive to the Deus... hard for a beginner to control, but for an experienced Deus, they were without peer.
He reached out for the female angels starter kit, since ninety-five percent of angels were female, but paused after a moment's thought. We're going to be together for a while, and I can't tell a woman everything, he thought, and he found himself grabbing one of the rare male kits without thinking. "I think this will do," he said.
Suzuki watched him as he started to look through the clothing materials thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want that model? I'd go with the Angelic Fight model... it's a bit easier to control..."
"No, this will work," Oujirou said, watching her and she twisted a stray bit of hair between her fingers. He picked up a maintenance package, trying not to get too frustrated at the materials for the clothes. Really, I should tell niisan that some clothes should be pre-designed... I can't sew to save my life... He picked out a large array of blue materials, figuring they would all match, and decided to ask his mother to help. She'd probably make him trade a few chores, but it'd be worth it.
"Are you getting any accessories?" Suzuki wanted to know.
"No. The regulation layers don't allow them, so I had better not learn to depend on them, either," he said.
"You... plan on playing again? After Kazeni plays you?"
He laughed. "Well, it'd be stupid of me to but all this for just one match, wouldn't it?" he asked. Oujirou headed over to the counter and paid, wincing a bit at the total. Suzuki trailed him, batting her long lashes and chattering aimlessly, giving him advice, most of which was wrong or useless. He knew that some of the technology was expensive, but he mentally added another 0 to the end of what he had estimated his brother's income was. Niisan... you are going to pay me back for this. Somehow.
When they reached the door, he bowed to her. "Now that you've seen what I've bought, be sure to accurately report it to Himeya-san. I know what Tigra is capable of, so I figured it was only fair she knows what I had to work with."
Suzuki looked at him, her mouth a bit slack, before she started to laugh. Her expression gained about two degrees of intelligence. "Oh, you!" she said as she straightened her hair, and a playful grin came to her lips. "Well, they say it's always the quiet ones! Mihara-kun, you are quite interesting." She spun around and started to walk away. When she had made it about ten feet, she looked over her shoulder and winked. "You're so mysterious! Now I really am interested in you!"
Oujirou watched her go, wondering. It would be the first of many times that women would confound him utterly.
*
He looked at the bathtub a bit dubiously. Opening the egg in the water was another thing that his niisan had designed into the angels, but it made it embarrassing for a guy. Guys did not want to take a bath with a doll. "Niisan, you are so out of touch with the real world," he muttered. Still, it needed to be done, and while he could just dunk it into the sink and do it that way, he understood that this was part of the bonding process between Deus and Angel.
"Here goes," Oujirou mutter, grabbing the egg, and getting into the tub. "I feel ridiculous." The egg cracked, and the small shape that would become the core of his Angel fell into his hands.
Oujirou studied it. He knew more about its design than almost anyone except his brother and a few selection members of the corporation, but there was something almost magically about watching its birth. This doll would become something special; he would mold it into one of the best angels on the Layer. He would take it all the way to the Championship, to show Shuuko and his niisan how much he loved the both of them. "Hello," he whispered to it, allowing the egg it had come from to float away on the water so he could cradle it in his both hands. "We have a long way to go together."
The doll's skeleton was as of yet unshaped, but Oujirou felt a surprising love for it, knowing that this time, it would be all him in control of this angel, rather than a prototype he would hand off as a success or failure. Is this why people love Angelic Layer so fiercely? he wondered. I want it for Shuuko and niisan... but maybe I can find something for myself there.
It was a disturbing and strangely tantalizing thought for one who had always sought company so much older than he was. He was so much more mature than his age group, but on the Layer.. who knew who he would meet.
Half an hour later found Oujirou at his desk, thoughtfully fiddling with various combinations of point distribution and other design schematics. He wanted a doll that was fast, but he needed strength as well. He needed...
A knock sounded on the door. "Ou-chan? I brought you a snack," his mother called.
"Come in," he said, and the door cracked. The older woman entered, carrying a tray with two tall glasses of milk with a platter heaped with homemade cookies.
He smiled at her, unable to stop himself. She had the same blue eyes he did, but her long hair was a deeper black, lacking the blue highlights people found so fascinating about his own. She had a young face, and was constantly busy with her life and successful at almost anything she undertook, but the one thing she couldn't do was cook. He eyed the cookies on the tray a bit suspiciously. "Were you in a baking mood today?"
"Your grandmother sent them over. They're safe," she assured him, grabbing an oatmeal raisin cookie and one of the glasses and settling down on his bed. She looked at his project curiously. "Did your brother ask you to test something new for him?"
He shook his head in the negative. "I got challenged by a girl in my class who said that guys don't belong on the Layer, so I needed to make an angel of my own."
His mother burst out laughing. "That poor girl has no idea what she's getting into, does she?"
"She made it to the Kansai quarterfinals last time, so she's pretty good. And I have no official Angelic Layer record, so..."
"Mihara Oujirou!" his mother said sternly, before ruining it by cracking up again. "Why are you bothering? You hate confrontation. Usually you're so laid back that you'd talk your way out of this..."
He considered another spec combination before discarding them, then turned and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate was a personal addiction of his. "Niisan is having problems getting data on male players..." he said softly. "Someone needs to shatter the stereotype of female-only players being superior."
His mother's expression softened. "Have you told him what you intend to do? I'm sure he could help you, get you some-"
"No," he said firmly. "And you'd better not tell him, either," he said, wagging a finger in her face. "I need to do this on my own. I don't want anyone to say that my brother eased my way." He sighed as another spec combination didn't work out the way he wanted it to. "I wish I knew how to spread the points, though. I could make a speed type, like Athena, but that's not my style. I want an angel that reflects myself."
"Then make it like Oujirou," his mother suggested. "Strong and fast, who doesn't really on weight." She smiled at him. "You should balance your strength and speed... but remember, when Oujirou does something, Oujirou does it by thinking."
Oujirou blinked at her. "I've never seen an angel that does that, but..." He typed in the specs, one that had strength and speed, but little weight. The dynamics of it were odd, and it would require skill to control, a sharp and ready mind, but Oujirou knew he could handle it. The angel would be agile and swift, but able to back up its attacks with force. However, controlling it... with a smile, he hit the accept key.
"Angel name..." He stared at the flashing cursor for a second, trying to imagine something that he'd be able to live with. The girls all got so fanciful, but he was, as everyone repeatedly told him, practical. "I have no clue." He turned pleading eyes on his mother.
She merely grabbed another cookie, and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Traitor," he muttered. Well, what was he going to do? His eyes skating through the room, trying to find something that would work. Pen, manga, book, pictures, wand... His eyes fixated on the wand, one of the few remnants of his childhood he had kept. He hurriedly entered the katakana that spelled out the name, and smiled as the completion noticed flashed.
"Hello, Wizard."
*
His mother had made Wizard's outfit for him, making him agree to cook dinner for a week in exchange. When she gave him the clothes, though, he knew it had been a good deal, for the clothing was simply perfect, stylish yet suitable for fighting. They suited Wizard's shocking ice-blue hair wonderfully.
He left before nine a.m. to the Piffle Princess to rent one of the private rooms. They weren't cheap, but he figured that he could always ask his niisan for a reimbursement if he got pinched for funds; not that it was likely, since Oujirou tended to save all his money and had a nice stash built up. He wanted a private session with his angel to understand the doll's quirks, since Wizard's schematics were quite unique.
Only the most obsessive players were out before noon on a Sunday, so Oujirou was able to get the room without a problem. The private rooms allowed players to make mistakes with no audience, and the high level players liked to use them to try new moves in secret. No one knew him as Mihara Ichirou's younger brother, which was a relief. He sighed a bit as he put on the visor, finding it a bit different than the testing models they used in the labs. The wings of the side of the headset were annoying. Still, he flicked it on, and the Layer came into focus.
"Okay, Wizard. Let's do your first entrance." He sat the doll on his wrist and tossed it, never having actually done an entry before.
It was embarrassing. Wizard wobbled in the air before hitting the Layer's field. His eyes came open under his own visor, and he spun through the air sleepily, coming around to face Oujirou. The angel seemed so intent on his flight that he forgot about landing. Only at the last minute did Wizard remember, and Oujirou winced in sympathy as Wizard landed on his knees.
"Oops. Let's try that again." He scooped the angel off the Layer and practiced again, doing about ten Entry Angels before coming up with one that was satisfactory. Wizard drifted down slowly, his face serene as he touched down, his hand touching the ground between his feet before he straightened, surveying the Layer majestically. "I think we have that. Now how about some practice," Oujirou said, starting out by having Wizard do a cartwheel.
Wizard responded instantly, and Oujirou smiled. "You're wonderful," he complimented the angel. "Now how about a few more?" he asked, leading the angel into more and more complex gymnastics, then through some basics katas he and Shuuko always used before turning on some music to work on his timing. The time flew as he and his angel learned about each other. Wizard was quick and strong, and would require careful handling, but if he treated him right, then Wizard would do whatever he asked.
Finally the clock read five minutes of one, and he realized that Himeya Kazeni would be there for their match. He hoped she had gotten the Layer, because he had forgotten. He blushed a bit as grabbed Wizard. It wasn't his nature to leave things up for chance. The private room wouldn't be large enough for the audience Himeya would gather, because she was one of the top players in the area.
As he left the room, he noticed the press of people around. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded. There were many girls there, but the number of guys was surprising as well. The snatches of conversation he overheard explained it, and he forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself.
"Tigra is fighting..."
"...challenged a guy to keep the Layer..."
"...may be dumb, but he's cute..."
"....wonder if he'll run away?"
Oujirou forced the pleasant smile that people associated with him to his face as he waded through the crowd, keeping Wizard safely in his bag. Finally his eye landed on Suzuki, who seemed to be looking around for someone. "Excuse me, Suzuki-san, but is Himeya-san around?" he asked.
The blonde's eyes widened and she darted through the people, grabbing his hand. "THERE you are, Mihara-kun!" she announced loudly.
All conversation in their immediate vicinity stopped and Oujirou felt a hundred pairs of eyes turn to focus on him. He forced himself to remain serene. "Is she getting the Layer? I'm afraid I forgot to, and neither of us mentioned those particular arrangements..." he said, pretending that no one was listening except for Suzuki.
Suzuki looked a bit apprehension. "Um, actually, she's getting you two paired for the next tournament. You're slated to begin in five minutes. This will go on your official record. I'm sorry, she's really angry and wants to bring you down quite spectacularly. You really don't deserve to be the target of her vendetta against the male gender. You're so nice-"
Oujirou gave Suzuki a soft smile. "It's okay. I can handle myself."
She bit her lower lip. "I-"
"How about we get going? I need to get there or else I'll forfeit by not showing." He nodded and started for the tournament table, knowing that Suzuki really didn't bear him any ill will. It was sweet of her to be so concerned.
The tournament area was packed, and he knew that most people were there to see Tigra destroy him. He saw members of his class, and some of the boys gave him encouraging cheers, but the girls glared at him for daring to enter their turf. The empty challenger's chair challenged him subtly, so Oujirou smoothly walked over to it, knowing that it was showtime.
The announcer, a pretty woman in her twenties, came over to him as he started to survey his equipment. "I need your name and the name of your angel," she said. "And I wanted to tell you that you're one of the bravest guys I've met - or one of the stupidest. Taking Tigra on as your first match..." She shook her head.
"Mihara Oujirou, Angel Wizard," he said. He noticed her eyes widening a bit at his name, and winked. "Maybe I'm not the one who's going to learn the lesson, no?" he asked with amusement.
She looked at his face, and gave him a small grin. "You don't look much like your brother."
"Stepbrothers," he murmured. "Keep it quiet; I'm here on my own. I'm not involved in niisan's work officially, so I'm not breaking any of the rules."
She winked right back at him. "I won't. But I'm not going to call you a rookie. I bet you've been playing longer than anyone here."
"Wizard is the rookie. I just designed him last night." Oujirou replied, finding the announcer interesting. She was smart to recognize his name and make the connection right away.
"Well, I won't wish you luck. I think Tigra is the one who'll need it," she replied. She stepped back, allowing him to extract Wizard from his traveling case.
Oujirou noticed many people examining the male angel, and heard disparaging comments about chauvinism and how female angels fought better; patently untrue, since angel gender had nothing to do with performance. He slid the goggles on and sat Wizard on his wrist before looking across the Layer at Himeya, who was talking to Tigra.
Tigra was a cat-girl angel, designed with tiger striped clothing and orange and black hair that fell to her waist. Oujirou had examined her specs and found her to be quite powerful, but she had two primary flaws. One was that she relied on the Tiger's Pounce, her finishing attack too much, something that many higher-level angels fell into the pattern of doing. The other was more subtle, but Oujirou intending on exploiting it. She tended to pause between her attacks, because while she had good speed for short distance, her speed for long stretches wouldn't hold. Her stamina, quite frankly, was poor. Small weaknesses, and on lower-level play they wouldn't be discernable, but Oujirou was about to show her that he wasn't the cat's toy.
Himeya looked up at him. "Still time to back out, Mihara-kun. You're a nice guy, but I can't figure out why you got it into your head to become the guy's advocate on this."
"Because on the Layer, it doesn't matter who you are... all that matters is the fight. So far the female Deuses have been doing better, but that doesn't mean the male Deuses can't win."
Her black eyes flashed and she grabbed her headset, and clicked it on. The wings on either side flared. "It's for girls!"
He sighed. "Well, let our angels show what guys and girls can do, won't we?" he asked, turning his head to the announcer and tapping the button that turned his headset to triggered his connection to the Layer. "Shall we begin?"
"In the East corner, Mihara Oujirou, Angel Wizard!"
He smiled a bit, knowing that this was time to stage on. He looked at Wizard and smiled slightly. "Work your magic, Wizard," he said clearly. He hated flashy and flamboyant entry phrases, but he knew style was a large part of Angelic Layer. "Angel, fall in!" he called, flicking his wrist, sending Wizard flying into the Layer.
Wizard came down just as he had the final times of practice, majestic and imposing. His fingertips brushed the Layer's floor before he rose, opening his eyes to survey the fighting arena. Oujirou tuned the whispers out, and focused on Himeya, who glared even harder.
"Just because you can do an entry doesn't mean anything! Tigra, it's time for the cat to play!" she announced, throwing her angel in. Tigra soared as well, but as soon as she hit the field, her expression came to life, and she came crashing down, a feral expression on her face. She looked ready to tear Wizard to shreds.
"Angelic Fight!" the announcer said, and Tigra sprung into motion.
Oujirou watched as Tigra raced towards Wizard. The cat-like angel moved low to the ground, and her hands were poised to grab his waist. He had Wizard wait until the last second, then instead of meeting the attack, simply sidestepped.
"And Wizard avoids Tigra's attack!" the announcer exclaimed.
The audience whispered, as Tigra stumbled, not expecting such a simple evasion. Most new players tried to fight, not evade. "Well... I'll need to do something different, won't I?" Himeya said, and Tigra did a backwalkover, spinning around to face Wizard.
Wizard watched, unimpressed. Tigra fell into a crouch, then began the whirling cartwheel, one of the basic Layer moves that was hard to carry through. If it struck, it would deal some heavy damage points to Wizard... if not, then the time wasted carrying it out would cost her.
"Tigra launches into the Whirling Cartwheel, one of the Layer's most damaging attacks! What will Wizard do?" The announcer's voice rose over the crowd's murmurs of admiration for Tigra's form.
Oujirou smiled a bit. He and Shuuko had developed a counter to it. He waited until Tigra was a twist and a half away, and unable to pull out before having Wizard lean over backwards into a handstand. Again he could hear the crowd murmuring, but he threw Wizard's feet forward, timing it so it hit Tigra directly in the stomach. The force he applied wasn't that much, but her own momentum sent her spinning the other way, and precariously close to the Layer's edge. Wizard came to his feet, just as serene and icy as ever, waiting for Tigra to come to her feet, rather than pressing the attack.
"Tigra loses a third of her points! Wizard counters the Whirling Cartwheel with... well, I've never seen it before! We'll need to name it, won't we?" the announcer said.
"It's called the Trance Breaker..." Oujirou said. He looked across the Layer at Himeya, who was staring at him in amazement. "And maybe it's broken your trance... are you ready to take me seriously now?"
The crowd was staring at him in quiet awe. He was sitting with perfect confidence, a slight smile dancing on his lips after sending one of the most powerful angels flying.
"Luck..." she whispered, bringing a wincing Tigra to her feet.
"Is it? Well, I guess Wizard and I should get back to work, then." He placed his arms on the chair, glanced at Tigra's position, and leapt.
Due to Wizard's light bodyweight, he moved so quickly it seemed as though he was flying, though he didn't have the wings that Shuuko somehow managed to command for Athena. Tigra stared up for a second before jumping as well, trying to wrap a hand around his neck. He avoided her, bringing a foot up and chopping her in the head. Had he angled it a bit more sharply, it would have thrust her from the Layer, but he wasn't done yet.
"Tigra falls to the ground! This has been all about Wizard! Can Tigra get her strength back and defeat the challenger?"
The battle was thrilling, and he didn't want it to end so easily, not before he truly began to press an attack. Wizard glided down to Tigra's side, and he waited for her to rise, and she swung a fast punch, which he dodged.
"Tigra launches a series of close-range attacks! Wizard avoids them easily!"
The slight pause he had noticed in her fighting was there, he noticed as she launched her second attack, which he evaded just as easily. "You know, Himeya-san," he said conversationally as Wizard ducked a kick, "you're pretty good. But you have two major weaknesses."
Her eyes widened in horror as he kept avoiding her attempted to hit Wizard. "One is... that you have little defense. You leave yourself open after each attack." He finally took and opening and kicked her in the chin. "Like so." Then he flipped away, knowing that he had just goaded her into highlighting her second weakness.
"Wizard lands an attack before retreating! With two minutes left, Tigra has to make a recovery or lose by point count!"
Sweat beaded on her forehead. "I... I..."
Tigra fell to all fours before raising her hindquarters like a sprinter in the starting blocks. The angel leapt into the air, her hands extended like claws and Oujirou sighed. "Your other fault is you rely too much on your finishing move." He said, and everyone watched as Wizard, instead of evading, caught Tigra in his arms and did a rolling throw, sending her near the edge.
"Tigra launches into the Tiger's Pounce, but is defeated by Wizard's throw. Most people try to evade it, and get hit by the second stage, or fight it, and get hit, but I've never seen anyone throw it..." The announcer sounded impressed.
The feline angel wobbled, but Oujirou decided to end it. He sent Wizard over to Tigra, and Tigra's eyes widened in horror as the blue angel simply shoved her off the edge of the Layer.
"Angel Out! Wizard Wins!" The announcer said.
There was dead silence as Oujirou removed his visor, and went to retrieve Wizard. Tigra lay on the floor where she had fallen, and he scooped her up as well, bringing her over to the shocked Himeya. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
The girl looked up at the concerned eyes of her classmate, amazed. She had expected gloating triumph, but then she had forgotten that Oujirou tended towards shyness, and was one of the gentlest guys in school. "How?" she whispered. "You didn't even lose any points!"
He smiled and knelt down beside her, handing her Tigra. "I studied you and Tigra, of course, so I knew your weaknesses. Your main mistake was underestimating me. Just because I haven't played any tournaments doesn't mean I don't know how the game works."
She took the doll, stroking Tigra's hair gently. "Maybe I should quit."
He looked at her in horror. He hadn't intended to make her quit! "No! I plan on entering the Kobe tournament, and it'd be nice to see at least one face I know!" he said. "Besides.. I pointed out your weaknesses, so now you can work on them, right?"
She nodded. "But I was so mean to you about..."
"On the Layer, it doesn't matter who we are. All that matters is the fight," he said. "And now that you know... well, you'll treat everyone more fairly, right?"
Himeya smiled. "I will. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You goaded me into doing something I should have done a while ago... so we both learned from it, no?" he asked. "Anyway, I needed to get going. I have to make dinner tonight." He made a face, and rose to his feet. "See you in class tomorrow!" he called, waving to her.
The crowd parted before him, staring at him with respect. He listened to the conversation, smiling as he caught snatches, so different from it had been when he had entered.
"...so cute, and so nice!"
"...can do it, maybe I should start playing competitively."
"...that move of his was so neat!"
"...Kobe! I'm going to go cheer..."
Back at the table, Suzuki Azami helped her best friend pack up. "He was really nice, wasn't he?"
Himeya Kazeni nodded. "I was so surprised. We're going to go to Kobe together. I wonder if we'll play each other."
Azami looked troubled. "That'd be a problem. I'd have no clue who to cheer for!"
Kazeni gave her friend a smile. "Do you know, I might just have the same problem? Thing is, if I fight him there, I think he'd win, no matter how much better I got. He wasn't fighting with everything he had today," she told the blond.
"What?" Azami asked. "He totally blew you out of the water, and he wasn't fighting with everything?"
"Mihara-kun was only trying to teach me a lesson. Had he really been fighting, I wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds. But he's such a gentleman that he didn't embarrass me that badly," Kazeni said, and her eyes were soft. "He gave me a chance."
"He was like a prince out of a storybook..." Azami mused.
END PART ONE
Notes: This was supposed to be... 2,000 words. 3,000 words, TOPS, for a section. After I broke 5,000, I started to have doubts whether I'd finish in time for the Obscurely CLAMP challenge, since there's four parts slated (with a possible epilogue!). And ONLY four parts! REALLY! But I'm going to try to get as much done as possible before Jan. 31, and then just keep releasing - there's no sense in rushing if that means the piece suffers, is there?
I'm following the timeline laid out in the AL anime subs I have. It states Misaki enters the FOURTH tournament, the Shuu had won THREE, and that Oujirou is entering his THIRD. So... here's how it works:
Prince of the Layer is set in Oujirou's last middle school year, equivalent to the US's ninth grade (That would be when he's 14/15). The Angelic Layer tournaments began in the prologue, which was set in his second year. I've seen some other interpretations, and they're probably right, but this is my story, and for the purposes of the fic, I'm sticking to it.
Oujirou lives in Kobe, so he would first go to the Kobe match, then to Kansai, then to the Championship. Since we all know how good he is, I assume since he's playing his third when he plays Misaki (when he's 17), he's been defeated by Shuuko twice in the finals.
Wizard's name would most likely be spelled in katakana when entered into the computer - it's how the Japanese spell foreign words.
In episode 23, we do see Oujirou wearing a winged headset in the lab as a child, but usually Shuu doesn't. I'm going to assume for testing purposes, they use more sensitive headsets to get more complete readings.
Thanks to Bejiin for answering my katakana question (and saving me from the hiragana- I always get the two confused!), Lyra from editing, being my Girl Friday by uploading, grabbing Oujirou's stats when I couldn't get my comp to cooperate and in general being the best imouto I could wish for.
Feedback is the motivator and prioritizer.