Angelic Layer – The Way of Love
Disclaimer: If you don't know already, just don't read my story then. Since I don't own Angelic Layer, there is no reason why anyone would want to sue me.
Misaki watched from the door as Oujirou was working out a new move with Wizard. He was trying to think of the move in parts and naturally, that meant that at some point...Wizard would stop in mid-air and fall back to the Layer because he wasn't getting instructions fast enough from his Deus. Misaki walked in and took a seat, knowing that he hadn't seen her, due to his extreme concentration on Wizard. She put her visor on, the wings popped outward, and she threw Hikaru into the Layer. Wizard had just fallen again, and it was clear by Oujirou's hand running through his hair every few seconds, that he was beginning to get very frustrated. She made Hikaru run forward and pick Wizard off the Layer, standing him upright. Oujirou saw this and looked across the Layer at Misaki in surprise.
"I didn't mean to barge in," She explained, having Hikaru hold Wizard upright while Oujirou was distracted, "but I thought you might want someone to practice with."
Oujirou nodded and smiled, focusing back on Wizard.
Misaki had Hikaru let go of Wizard and did a backward flip to land on her feet elegantly. Then with a quick forward motion, she thought her way through the move Oujirou was trying to accomplish. Hikaru ran forward, then jumped high in the air, doing a summersault and landing a perfect kick at the Layer. Then after hitting the Layer, Hikaru pushed off it with her other foot, doing another flip in the air and landing with her left leg bent into a kneel in front of her, and her right leg straight out. Then moving her right leg a full 180 degrees in a clockwise position, she pushed off of the Layer once more to do another back flip, and ended by landing with one foot touching the Layer first, then the other. Oujirou looked slightly shocked but smiled.
"Awesome," He said, "Absolutely perfect. There never was a move invented that you couldn't do, Misaki."
Misaki blushed slightly at his words, "Thank you."
Oujirou continued to smile for a moment before taking off his visor. Misaki watched him for another moment before taking her own visor off as well.
"Umm...Would you like to get something to eat with me, Misaki?" Oujirou asked, taking Wizard off the Layer.
Misaki found herself staring across the Layer at Oujirou, trying to read his face. When she couldn't tell what he was thinking, she took Hikaru off the field as well.
"Um, sure," Misaki accepted.
Oujirou nodded, leading the way out of the room with Misaki walking behind him until they got to the door and she caught up to him.
"So, where are we going?" Misaki asked curiously.
"I was thinking about the little Tai restaurant in the next block over. What do you think?"
Misaki blushed, Tai food was one of her favorites, but she never told anyone. "Um...yeah...that sounds really good."
Oujirou smiled the same charming grin that always seemed to be present on his face. "Okay, lets go then."
Oujirou put an arm around Misaki's shoulders while they walked, making her turn several shades of pink. It was a good ten minutes when they got to the Tai restaurant. It was a small place with about twenty tables in it, each covered with a blue tablecloth. The floor was a sort of bamboo wood and the walls were covered with a kind of silk.
Misaki just stopped in the doorway, looking at everything in complete awe. "Wow..."
Oujirou chuckled softly at her response and offered a smile as a young woman seated them at a small table near the window, giving them menus and telling them that she would be back when they were ready to order.
Misaki was still looking around the place when she was at her seat, before Oujirou brought her back to where she was.
"Nice place, isn't it?" Oujirou asked, still smiling.
Misaki turned her attention to his direction, "Oh...yes. It's very beautiful." A slight blush came over her face again. Trying to hide it, she picked the menu up off the table and put it in front of her face, so that only her eyes could be seen over it.
Oujirou chuckled lightly and did the same, seeming much more relaxed than Misaki was. It was a moment before either of them spoke.
"How are you supposed to know what these are? All the names are in Tai..." Misaki asked.
"But the descriptions aren't. They can tell you everything that's in it," Oujirou explained calmly and somewhat amused.
"Oh...well...I didn't see that," Misaki said sheepishly...now turning a very dark shade of red.
After a few minutes, the waitress took their orders and picked up the menus, leaving Misaki very much visible to Oujirou, who never seemed to take his eyes off her. It was a few minutes, with an uncomfortable silence between the two before their food came. It seemed that even Oujirou was at a loss for words to start a conversation at a time like this. This being so, their meal went by quietly with random looks and smiles at each other. When the waitress came back to give Oujirou the bill, Misaki remembered something that she had meant to tell Oujirou about, although, she wasn't sure what his response would be.
"Umm...Oujirou..." Misaki ventured putting a nervous smile in place.
"Hmm?" He looked up at her as he slipped some money into the small black folder that contained the bill.
"I'm in a musical—sort of a play—that my school is putting on...I was wondering if you might want to come for when we perform it Monday night." She tried not to sound too enthusiastic, but the expression on her face was enough to tell Oujirou that she really wanted him to be there.
Oujirou raised his eyebrows in interest, "What's it about?"
"Oh...well...its mainly about this guy and girl meeting each other and falling in love, but they're from completely different worlds, but I'm one of the background characters, so I don't have to do most of the romantic stuff." Her face suddenly turned several shades of red.
Oujirou smiled, his eyes twinkling. He had never heard Misaki sing, but he guessed that she was just as perfect in it as she was in everything else. "Sure, I'll be there."
Misaki's innocent face glowed as an uncontrollable grin came over her face, lighting up her eyes. "Thanks, Oujirou. It really means a lot to me."
Oujirou just smiled, he knew it meant a lot to her just by the way her face lit up when he said he would go to it. He glanced out the restaurant window, which was now dark. He automatically looked down at his watch, reading the small digits that formed the numbers: 7:43pm.
He took in a sharp breath when he saw the time.
"It's getting dark, and your aunt, Shouko, doesn't know where you are," he said looking back up at her and standing at the same time, "I need to take you home. She might worry about you otherwise."
Misaki nodded blushing at his thoughtful comment and stood up grabbing her coat and angelic Layer equipment which she hadn't had time to drop off before she had been taken to the restaurant. Oujirou was doing the same across from her and they left swiftly.
About twenty minutes later, Oujirou and Misaki stopped in front of Shouko's front door. The sky was a calm dark blue, casting a beautiful shade of night over the two as they stood and looked at each other for a moment. Oujirou's friendly blue eyes surveyed Misaki for a moment.
"That was a lot of fun...tonight," Misaki said in a rather smaller voice than normal.
Oujirou flashed a toothy grin at her, showing perfectly white teeth that melted her from the inside.
"I had a lot of fun too...and I'll be there for your musical, I promise."
Misaki blushed, everything seemed so perfect, but somehow...something seemed to be missing...
Suddenly, Oujirou leaned forward (and probably downward too...lol), his hand came to the back of her head just as his lips touched hers. Misaki wasn't even aware of what he was doing at first, but her eyes closed involuntarily and she relaxed as it happened. Then as Oujirou leaned away from her again and put his hand back to his side, her eyed opened again. He was blushing slightly.
"I'll see you soon then," Oujirou smiled.
"Good night," Misaki finally said, the words coming back to her as she reached for the door handle.
"Good night," Oujirou called softly as she walked inside, gently closing the door behind her.
Oujirou smiled and started his own journey home. Inside, however, Misaki was leaning against the door blushing furiously and giggling. Oujirou had just given her, her first kiss. Shouko came out of her room to look at the girl.
"Well, don't you seem happy," Shouko had a wide, teasing grin on her face. "Where have you been all night?"
Misaki blushed ever harder, "With Oujirou."
Shouko folded her arms and pretended to glare, "That boy always makes you too happy for your own good. Have you noticed that?"
Misaki's blushing smile faded, "Huh?"
Shouko broke into laughter, "Wow, you take everything too seriously!"
"Oh..." Misaki's face flushed.
"Oh well, that's just something we have to work on," Shouko shrugged.
"I guess so," Misaki said quietly. There was silence for a moment before Misaki started towards her room.
"I'm going to get ready for bed, okay, Shouko?"
"All right, Misaki," Shouko called after her. She smiled after the girl, before going back to her own room to finish some papers she was working on.
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Okay, how was it? I know it isn't that long, but I'm just getting over a major case of writers block and with marching band season I've been in a time crunch for months anyway, so this is the first chapter I've written in a while. My apologies to everyone who's been waiting for more of the story. I don't know exactly when I'll have the time to write the next one, but I am over the writer's block, for now at least. Thanks for your patience everyone!
