Broken Puzzle

A Misaki x Hatoko Fanfiction by Munkii

This story is unrelated to my other fanfictions, namely "Conceptions of Love" and "Lost in Dreams". It contains Shoujo-Ai, love between two girls. Please do not read this if this is not your type of story. Angelic Layer and all respective characters are copyright CLAMP, Japan.

Chapter 2

Discovery

.o..o…O…o..o.

The Sun rose like it normally did every day, and rays of light entered the room through the large window. Misaki and Hatoko stirred slightly, though they were still sleepy. They had both stayed up a little later then usual talking about random things. Quite suddenly, Hatoko had nodded off to sleep as Misaki whispered about various funny moments. Misaki had noticed when the younger girl didn't reply and smiled, and reached over to bring the covers over her. She was still so young, and Misaki forgot this on a regular basis. Soon both girls had fallen fast asleep.

Misaki's eyes opened slowly, and she found Hatoko was cuddled next to her in her sleep. She couldn't help but smile, her younger friend was too cute for words. Misaki turned her head to look at her clock on the nightstand, and she noticed it was already 8:30. She was glad it was the weekend. While there was no need to rush to prepare for the day, Misaki wanted to help her Mother make breakfast. There was something about preparing the food that allowed Misaki and Shuuko to connect, for whatever reason, and Misaki always enjoyed the feelings associated with it. She turned back to Hatoko and rested her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"Ha…" Misaki began, but she thought better of it and started to gently slide off the bed. Hatoko clamped her arms around Misaki. "Hatoko-chan!" Misaki stammered, surprised.

"It's okay to wake me up, Misaki. I sleep too much anyways." Hatoko murmured, still not fully awake.

"Silly Hatoko-chan…" replied Misaki as she scooted off the bed with the younger girl attached. Hatoko stood up when Misaki moved away from the bed a little, letting go.

"I hope I didn't wake you up during the night Misaki, it's just, you're so nice to be next to." Hatoko explained, gazing at Misaki as the older girl searched for some clothes for the day.

"No, you didn't wake me up. I'm glad you are happy, it makes my heart stop hurting, if only for a little bit." Misaki replied, pausing at the dresser as she said it. "But Hatoko-chan, you feel similar things…"

"Yes, I do. Maybe I'm just lonely and need somebody to hug sometimes." Hatoko looked at Misaki expectantly.

"I'm your friend, Hatoko-chan, anything you need, I'll be here. Okay?" Misaki replied, and as soon as she did, confusion entered her mind once more. She breathed heavily for a few moments, and told herself to ignore the emotions, like she always did, but Hatoko had already noticed. Hatoko rarely missed noticing Misaki's feelings.

Misaki began to wonder why it was always like this. Why just seemingly out of the blue her feelings would turn around and tangle up. Why her heart would ache so badly. She extended words of kindness and her whole world turned upside down and around in an instant.

"Misaki? Are you okay?" The younger girl moved to within inches of Misaki.

"I want to say I am, Hatoko-chan," Misaki confided. "I don't want my problems to interfere with things, and I don't want to be troubling you with them either." Another barrage of mental pain lashed at Misaki's conscious, and she lowered her head.

"You don't have to worry about me, Misaki. You don't have to pretend to be strong, just let me be there for you. Let me always be there for you. Okay?" Hatoko replied sincerely as she hugged Misaki. Misaki didn't move or reply for several moments, then brought her eyes on Hatoko.

"Is it that easy to make my feelings settle down, Hatoko-chan?" Misaki whispered, and Hatoko nodded. Misaki let a few tears roll down her cheeks. "And I was here telling you I'd be here for you. Look at me now…" Misaki sniffled and a few moments passed. "Why does it have to be so confusing, so hard, for me to be happy?"

"I don't know the answer to that, Misaki. Only you do. Each person has different feelings inside of them." Hatoko explained.

Several minutes passed before Hatoko let go of Misaki and they both dressed for the day. Hatoko's gaze never left Misaki all the while, and when they were ready to go into the kitchen area, they left together.

.o..o…O…o..o.

Misaki waved goodbye to Hatoko through the window of the car as it rolled away. Shuuko was in the passenger seat, and Yuuko was driving. Hatoko disappeared as the vehicle turned a corner, and Misaki let her hand drop to her side.

"Hatoko-chan looked sad…" Misaki thought to herself. "I hope she does okay while I'm away." Sighing quietly, Misaki gazed out the window as various scenery and residences passed by as thoughts of Hatoko clung to her mind. It wasn't a new experience. More then once the young girl had touched her heart in such a way that she couldn't go an hour without thinking about it. Misaki sighed again.

"Are you feeling alright, Misaki?" Shuuko asked, noticing Misaki's expression.

"I'm okay… just a bit tired." Misaki replied, and Shuuko smiled back before returning to her conversation with Yuuko regarding the schedule for that afternoon. From what Misaki could tell, they would be checking in with a specialist that afternoon before arriving at the place they were staying, which was a small house owned by the Angelic Layer Company for visits such as these. Shuuko and her assistant had been there many times, but this was going to be Misaki's first visit. Misaki wasn't sure as to what to expect, but she was glad to have the opportunity to get away from Tokyo for a bit.

Misaki lay down on the backseat of the car and closed her eyes, and her mind drifted back to Hatoko, wishing she would have come along on the trip as well.

.o..o…O…o..o.

Arriving home, Hatoko had set Suzuka on the top of her dresser and went off to take a shower. While part of her was happy to have spent so much time with Misaki, the other part of her was sad to see her go. She was riding on a wave of these feelings, and her face was contorted with expressions as various wonderful and disheartening thoughts ran through her mind.

Fortunately, no one was around, and Hatoko was allowed some quiet time in the shower. While young, she certainly understood her feelings. There was no way she couldn't – they had consumed her since she realized they existed. Existed as a beautiful yet painful piece of her own heart, her own puzzle. The hot water ran down her back as Hatoko stood underneath the showerhead.

"Misaki…" Hatoko murmured to herself. She reached for the soap, but it fell to the floor. Hatoko stared at it for several moments before reaching down to pick it up with both of her small hands.

It wasn't long before Hatoko was all cleaned up, and she left the bathroom only to find Kotarou and Tamayo sharing cuddly moments in the courtyard. Hatoko looked away, wishing that it was her and Misaki instead.

"Hatoko, would you like to go to Piffle Princess? Tamayo wanted to take me to see some sappy movie…" Kotarou began, noticing Hatoko, though Tamayo didn't much appreciate the comment and whacked him on the head.

"It's not sappy. It's about a lovely couple who get stranded at sea and go live on an island and fight the local wildlife for food…" Tamayo started, "Oh, and they are Judo champs at that!"

"Fine fine, Tamayo. Still looks like wierd movie." Kotarou replied, turning back to Tamayo.

"I would like to go to the Piffle Princess." Hatoko said quite suddenly, and her brother turned back to her. "I really would like to go. I'll be ready in a few minutes." Hatoko dashed off to her room, leaving Kotarou and Tamayo alone yet again.

"Why are you being so nice to Hatoko-chan?" Tamayo asked quietly. "Normally she asks you for favors." Kotarou sighed.

"She's sad, I can tell. I don't know why, but I'd rather make it easier for her to do things she likes instead of allowing her to mope around."

"Hatoko-chan is the only one that can fix this problem, I'm guessing?" Tamayo turned to see where Hatoko had disappeared into her room. Kotarou nodded.

"Hatoko is Hatoko. She is the only one that can fix this problem of hers because she's usually too stubborn to listen to people. The only people she really listens to are Misaki, and perhaps a few other people she met during Angelic Layer matches. She has respect for talented Deuses, but as for the rest of us, usually ignored." Kotarou smiled.

The sliding of a door could be heard, and Hatoko appeared moments later holding Suzuka. Her hair was still wet and a bit ruffled, but otherwise she was just the same. Her expression was quite neutral, and Kotarou and Tamayo said nothing about it as they began to walk to the closest Piffle Princess.

It wasn't much fun for Hatoko, walking behind Kotarou and Tamayo as the two love birds held hands and whispered things back and forth. Hatoko wanted it to be her and Misaki. By the time they had finally arrived at the Piffle Princess, Hatoko was working hard to keep her own feelings in check. The moment she got the chance, she dashed off inside after a hasty goodbye to her brother and Tamayo.

Since it was the weekend, the Angelic Layer area of the Piffle Princess was quite crowded with fans and Deuses. As Hatoko looked about for an opening, a warm hand fell on her shoulder. She turned around to find Kaede standing next to her.

"How are you today, Hatoko-chan?" Kaede said sweetly. Hatoko paused for a moment.

"I'm okay I guess, Kaede-san." Hatoko turned back to look at all the people.

"Oh, I see… Would you like to share a practice Layer? It looks like one is opening up in the back." Kaede asked, and after a few moments of thought, Hatoko nodded. "Okay, let me go rent it then." Kaede disappeared and Hatoko made her way over to the illuminated surface in the back where they would be practicing. It was a Layer where a Deus could test their skills against flying spheres. Hatoko liked to practice everyday, but lately she had been slacking off.

Kaede came back with the ticket, and they waited for a few minutes as the Deuses already at the Layer finished up. Seeing Kaede and Hatoko waiting patiently, they left a few minutes early with an enthusiastic smile.

"Why don't you go first, Kaede-san." Hatoko said as she sat down. "You paid for the rental." Kaede nodded, setting her angel Buranshe on the Layer. Hatoko watched as the angel gracefully removed all of the floating spheres from the Layer.

"Buranshe liked that didn't she?" Kaede said, "Squee! Yes I did!" Came Kaede's imitation of Buranshe's voice soon after. "Hatoko-chan, it's your turn now."

Hatoko nodded slowly, setting Suzuka on the Layer. The scarlet orbs appeared again as Hatoko's mind floated off to the day she saw Misaki practicing. In fact, Misaki had been practicing on this same Layer, sitting right where Hatoko now was. Hatoko's gaze fell on Kaede, only to find the older girl was looking at her with a worried expression on her face.

"Hatoko-chan, are you okay? Is something bothering you?" Kaede asked sweetly. Hatoko looked at Kaede for a few moments, and then turned away.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Hatoko replied.

"It's Suzuhara-san, isn't it?" Kaede guessed. Hatoko nodded. "Am I right in saying you have certain feelings for her?"

"Very much!" Hatoko burst out suddenly. Thankfully it was so busy that only Kaede heard her, but she still looked away in embarrassment. "I love her very much."

"Hatoko-chan. You are very mature for your age, so I think you'll understand my opinion of Suzuhara-san the way I mean for it to be. While she certainly has willpower, she is naïve and her emotions are easily confused. She has a tendency to keep people at a friendly level, but I feel she keeps people from her heart on a regular basis. I don't know why, but that seems like that it is just the way Misaki is. However, I do know that she lets you into her heart because she has great faith and respect in you. You showed her Angelic Layer. You helped her the most in achieving great feats: of bringing her to her Mother and winning the Angelic Layer championships. Of helping her confront herself on many levels. Without you, she wouldn't have succeeded as well as she did, and she realizes this and would love for you to be happy." Hatoko wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. It was like Kaede had laid out everything right in front of her, things which had taken months for Hatoko to figure out.

"How do you know all this about Misaki?" Hatoko asked quietly.

"Because I respect her, I have a tendency to think about her often when I think about Angelic Layer. She is the champion, so all the other fans of Angelic Layer, and more particularly Suzuhara-san's fans, want to know more about this special person. She is their idol. Not only that, Hatoko-chan, those same fans have respect for you as well. You were there with Misaki in the championship match. You helped give her the power to win. And for that, you'll find many people respect you greatly." Kaede replied. Hatoko was trying to do her best to absorb all the information, but it was still quite a lot for someone her age. Normally she wasn't given answers. Normally she had to go figure things out for herself, simply because when she had learned about Angelic Layer, she knew no one else that was interested.

Hatoko remembered back in those early days, when she often sat alone in the corner of the Piffle Princess, practicing to be the best. To show her brother and everyone else that she could do something great even though she was young. She succeeded, for the most part. She was well known in the Tokyo area for her talent as a Deus.

"It's like everyone knows us, because we have spent so much time participating in Angelic Layer," Hatoko said. Kaede nodded. "Perhaps even waiting for the day when Misaki and I are partners."

"I wouldn't be surprised, but you have to remember, there are some very private moments between you and Suzuhara-san that no one knows about, because you two are the only ones that know about them. Those moments mean just as much to her as they do to you, I'm sure." Kaede replied.

"Then, Kaede-san, please tell me… What is Oujirou-san doing with my Misaki?" Hatoko looked like she was pouting now, but she was at least feeling a bit happier. Talking to Kaede was like talking to her true feelings. Kaede was just re-affirming what she already knew to be true.

"I would take a guess that he is the source of Suzuhara-san's confusion. He is pushing her to do things that she probably doesn't want to do. But Suzuhara-san likes to make people happy, so she does them anyways. I honestly believe she has fallen in love with you Hatoko-chan… She just doesn't know it yet." Kaede gazed at the young girl before her with a smile. Hatoko was obviously taking her seriously, and Kaede was glad. Hatoko was just as special to her as Misaki was. It made her happy to think that there were two more people in Angelic Layer that could take a girl-girl relationship seriously. Not of themselves, but also that of others.

"Sai-san and you?" Hatoko asked quietly. Kaede nodded with a smile.

.o..o…O…o..o.

"Yuuko, I'm sure you've heard about the Ice Machine and the White Angel, Sai-san and Kaede-san." Shuuko started with a slight smile. If anything, she loved to gossip with Yuuko. Their relationship was not that different from the relationships between high school girls, at times, and Shuuko relished the fact that she could be childish occasionally.

"Isn't the White Angel your angel?" Yuuko asked, and Shuuko nodded.

"My angel is the White Angel, but the White Angel person is Kaede-san. It's a bit confusing…"

"Oh, I know who you're talking about. They are quite good at Angelic Layer aren't they? Is there some secret about them, Shuuko?" Yuuko smiled a half-evil looking smile.

"I heard they were together…" Shuuko admitted.

"Girlfriend and girlfriend together?"

"Yes, I think it's quite wonderful. I remember back when I was in school, the few pairs of girls that did have something special always hid it. They were always afraid. I would have liked to go up and be friends with them, but of course, I was afraid too. 'What would everyone think?' I thought. Sometimes the girls were bullied when people knew." Shuuko sighed, "And they were sweet girls too."

"It's a shame. Oh well, I hope everything works out between them. Angelic Layer is about making friends too. Or finding out you like girls more then guys." Yuuko replied with a smile. Shuuko laughed.

"Very true." Shuuko turned around to look at Misaki, lying asleep in the back. But, as it was, Misaki wasn't asleep at all, merely dozing. When she had heard Kaede's name though, her ears started listening closer, and her mind started to buzz with a mix of feelings.

Misaki was content with the fact that her mother didn't mind the idea of a girl-girl relationship, but the actual idea was playing about her mind.

"Do I prefer girls?" Misaki began to wonder. The idea had never occurred to her that the special person she was seeking might just be a girl. It was both a hopeful and troubling thought. For one, it could unlock her heart, but on the other hand... if she was that way… there would be people in her life that might decide to hate her because they thought it was wrong. She might lose friends at school, or fans for Angelic Layer perhaps… She might be made fun of, or hurt.

"But it might make me happy. Very happy…" Misaki thought again. Already the idea appealed to her because she had never really found that perfect guy. Sure Oujirou was nice, and Kotarou was nice, but… Misaki just didn't feel especially attached to them. Kotarou had been taken up by Tamayo anyways. And Oujirou, while their little outings were generally fun, Misaki felt somewhat like Oujirou was impeding upon her personal feelings. In his quest to show her a good time, it was like he forgot that Misaki had ideas with which to occupy their time with. Certainly, she had been raised to live in a patriarchal society, but Misaki could feel in herself the need to resist it. Angelic Layer had empowered her, and she didn't want to lose it now.

It was nice to be able to think for once about her situation, and Misaki smiled a little with her eyes still closed. She wanted to know her thoughts and emotions were the truth, but right now the pain in her heart had subsided, and she took the opportunity to take a peaceful nap.

.o..o…O…o..o.

While Hatoko hadn't even practiced Angelic Layer that day, she came home in a better mood then when she left. Kaede had reassured her many times that things would be alright, and walked her home. Kaede hugged Hatoko and waved goodbye as she left to visit Sai.

"I need to tell Misaki outright, I suppose." Hatoko whispered to herself. "But, the best way for Misaki would be if she figured it out on her own, because then she wouldn't be confused anymore." Hatoko sighed, remembering with a slight blush the last time she held Misaki in her arms.

.o..o…O…o..o.

Eee! I'm done. Please await the next chapter patiently!

.oO Munkii