Angelic Layer – Never The Same
Disclaimer: Did I not make it clear in the other four chapters? Don't own the series of Angelic Layer in any way. So if you have a bone to pick with someone, pick it with the WOMEN who make up CLAMP!
Description: Has Kotarou and Tamayo, along with Oujirou, of course. Yes, I said earlier that Ichan's Findings was going to be the last part of this fan fiction, but guess what...I lied. So sorry to disappoint those who like to finish things in their imagination, but there's more. As for those of you who wanted more, enjoy!
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It was only a few days later that Kotarou came back home to Tokyo, along with Tamayo, and Hatoko, followed only a few days later by the return of Sai and Ringo. When they had all come back, however, things did not go back to their normal quiet and fun conversations and outings, at least not right away. Sai had gotten a boyfriend while she was away, and everyone was buzzing about Misaki's new relationship with Oujirou, along with Misaki's incident. It wasn't only her friends who decided to ask endless questions and talk about it all the time; the incident of Misaki's life threatening incident had made it into the Angelic Layer News used to announce new tournaments, new equipment, and anything else having to do with Angelic Layer. Her incident also made its way into two of Tokyo's biggest newspapers (as well as smaller ones), with headlines like, "Cheating Turns Life Threatening On The Layer" and "Famous Suzuhara Almost Loses Her Life During New Tournament." If this publicity wasn't enough to want to make Misaki stay inside 24 hours a day due to the crows that would collect if she left the house, because they all wanted her to confirm the story in her own words as true; there was also the issue of Oujirou and Misaki starting to date. Luckily, in this part of the news, Oujirou was forced to share in the experience along with Misaki, therefore making her less alone in the collecting crowds. How the Angelic Layer magazines got this piece on information, however, she and Oujirou had absolutely no idea. But it came as no shock to Oujirou when he got his first daily copy of one of the magazines in the mail having to do with this. The front cover reading, "Two Champions In the Layer, Lovers Outside It." It had a picture of him carrying Misaki from the tournament, minus all the other stuff he was carrying along with her.
"Did you read this, Misaki?" He asked handing the magazine to her.
"What's that?" Misaki asked absentmindedly as she put food on two plates for Oujirou and herself. Her aunt and mother were out of the house at the moment. She set the plates down on the table and took the magazine he was offering her.
"An article about you an me? Interesting, but how did they get the picture? I don't remember a circumstance ever happening when I wound up in your arms like that. Asleep, no less."
Oujirou could tell as she put the magazine down from her face slightly to look at him questioningly, that she was having one of her "mature moments" and wasn't just asking to ask, she expecting an answer.
Oujirou was silent for a moment, hesitating, then finally broke the silence.
"That must have been taken when I was carrying you out from the tournament to get you to the hospital after the incident in the Layer, but I was a lot more worried than I actually look in that picture."
Misaki glanced down at the magazine again.
"Your right. In here you almost look happy, but...a worried sort of happy."
She looked back up at Oujirou putting the magazine on the table.
"You must have been pretty worried if you can see it even after they edited it out."
Oujirou sat there staring at her, completely shell shocked, but no look except calm showed on his face. 'Was I really that worried that she can see it in the picture?'
"Hey, are you alright?" Misaki asked. She truly did have her own almost worried look on her face.
He looked up at her completely speechless, then cleared his throat and looked down at his food.
"Fine, I'm fine."
He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat slowly. Misaki looked at him for a moment or two longer than she normally would have, and then started on her meal as well.
As they finished their meals and Oujirou insisted on doing the dishes, a knock came on the door. Misaki walked over to it, opening it to reveal her two friends, Kotarou and Tamayo. Each of them looking as if they had just been too an amusement park. It was at that moment that Oujirou finished the dishes.
"Hi!" Misaki called enthusiastically when she saw them.
"Hello, Misakichi!" came Tamayo's voice as she flung herself on Misaki, knocking her over.
It was at this moment when Oujirou stepped into view. He had an amused look on his face as he watched Tamayo and Misaki. Kotarou was looking at him with an odd look on his face.
"Hello, Oujirou," Kotarou said rather stiffly.
Tamayo let go of Misaki and looked up. Then jumped up energetically.
"Oujirou!" Tamayo flung herself at him as well, and wrapped her arms around him in a crazy, friendly way.
Oujirou had to take a step back to keep himself from being knocked over as well. The look on his face was between calm puzzlement, utter terror, and slight concern of what Misaki would think, but to his surprise, she had a wide smile on her face, which made him relax slightly as he regained his balance. When Tamayo finally let go, Oujirou had a rather uncomfortable look on his face, but quickly straightened his standing position and his face.
"We were going to surprise you, Misakichi, but Kotarou want to knock first," Tamayo explained.
"And you listened?" Misaki stared at Tamayo in a puzzling way for a moment.
"Only this once," Tamayo stated matter-of-factly.
Misaki nodded, still slightly puzzled.
"So, did we interrupt anything? Were you and Oujirou actually going to do something together? I mean, you two are on every magazine cover lately," Tamayo told them with a mischievous look on her face.
Neither Misaki nor Oujirou looked very excited about this news.
"Actually," Oujirou said calmly, "I was just about to leave anyway. I have a lot of work to attend to with Angelic Layer. I'll see you tomorrow, Misaki."
With that, he left without another word. Misaki had a dreamy look on her face as she watched him walk away. Tamayo saw this and had no intention of letting it go.
"Do I sense TRUE L-O-V-E-?!" Tamayo asked excitedly after Kotarou closed the door leading outside.
Misaki started blushing a brilliant color of brick red, but said nothing.
"So, when did you and he start going out?" Tamayo asked still very excited.
"A few days after I got out of the hospital from my accident in the Layer," Misaki answered, still blushing.
"How are you feeling, anyway?" Kotarou asked, finally finding something to talk about.
"I'm back to my 'old self'. So, I guess you could say that I'm doing very well..." Misaki hesitated, "all thanks to Oujirou."
"I'm sorry that we weren't there for you, Misaki," Kotarou said guiltily.
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Misaki said brightly, waving a hand at him in a hyper fashion as if to brush away his words.
"So, what is the deal with you and Oujirou, anyway?" Tamayo asked in an attempt to take over the conversation once again.
"Well, you know...he and I are close," Misaki answered.
"That's it? Details, Misakichi!" Tamayo said enthusiastically.
Misaki opened her mouth to answer, but Kotarou interrupted.
"Actually, we just came by to say hello, and see how you were doing," Kotarou said, and opening the door, he started dragging Tamayo out with him.
"Well, see you again later, okay?" Kotarou said, grabbing the door, getting ready to close it.
"Okay, bye," Misaki smiles.
"See you later," Kotarou smiles too and closes the door before Tamayo gets out of his grip.
Misaki turned away from the door and walked back to the dinning room where the magazine with a picture of her in Oujirou's arms was still laying. A blushing smile filled her face as she saw it, knowing that he had meant not to leave for a long time, before Tamayo and Kotarou showed up at the door deciding to give her some time with her friends without him. She picked up the magazine, turned to the page where the article of Oujirou and herself began, and started to read.
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What do you think? Please R&R like before, and I'll get started on the next chapter. Thanks for all your great reviews in the previous chapters, and thank you for reading!