Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Here's the fourth chapter, I hope you like it so far. I know I do.
As always, R&R! I love reviews! If you can, help me improve my writing! And also, I love compliments! Banzai! Enjoy!
I'm afraid to say that this story will remain on hiatus after the first of the year. But don't worry! I'll be sure to do more updating on this story once my other, more active stories finish up!
Chapter 4 – The Gold Clad Warrior
Hitomi ran into the team waiting room to be greeted with hugs by Kimiko and Keiichi. Her grin was uncontrollable, as if it was too big for her face. She had won her match for her team, and they were one step closer to beating down the bullies!
Speaking of bullies, Hitomi turned back to Usada, who was getting yelled at by Fuko and Akari.
"How could you lose to a newbie!" Akari spat.
"She's completely inexperienced, and she STILL beat you?" Fuko continued to shout.
"What kind of lame player are you?"
"I don't know why we're even frie--"
"That's enough!" Fuko and Akari stopped their rant to look over at Hitomi who was standing defiantly with Ikaya on her shoulder.
"What do YOU want?" Akari shot back at Hitomi.
"Stop picking on Usada, she did her best!" Hitomi shouted. "What kind of friends are you?"
Akari and Fuko stared at her with icy glares.
"What kind of people make a friend feel bad when she loses? A REAL friend would be there to help their friend get through the pain, not make it worse!"
Akari's eyes flashed for a moment, then went back to their dark menacing green, "This is none of your business. Butt out."
"I won't!" Hitomi smirked, "Because I'm sticking up for my friend, Usada!"
Akari and Fuko looked taken aback and stared at Usada with accusing eyes. "Usada," Akari asked, "Are you HER friend now?"
Usada stared at Akari for a while, looking frightened out of her wits. She turned to Hitomi for backup, but Hitomi just looked at her and said, "I've done my part, now is the time to stick up for yourself."
Usada at first looked hurt, but swallowed the words and turned back to Akari. Her eyes were defiant, "Yes."
"What!"
"You heard me, Hitomi is my friend now, and even though we've only been friends a short time, she's still a way better friend then you guys ever were! All you ever did was pick on me, and make me your lackey! Well I'm tired of it!" Usada slammed her foot on the ground. "I QUIT!"
Akari looked furious, "What do you mean quit!"
"Q-U-I-T!" Usada spelled out. "QUIT! I quit being your team mate, I quit being your goon, and I quit at being your friend!" With that, Usada stormed off to sit down on the chair near Hitomi's team's table.
Akari gave Usada a cold stare, "Fine, we don't need you."
"SECOND MATCH!" the announcer yelled and Fuko got up and started walking to the other side of the arena.
"See you there, Ki-chan," she laughed and walked off. Kimiko's temple throbbed at the stupid nickname.
"Ki-chan…" Kimiko snarled and got Spira ready.
"This time you will loose," Akari smiled. "Usada was nothing to Fuko."
"Fuko'll try to mess with your head Kimiko," Keiichi told her as she warmed up. "Don't let her get to you."
"Never." Kimiko gritted her teeth and got ready for the announcer to call her name.
"AND NOW DEUSES TO THE LAYER!"
Kimiko walked out, Spira on her hand to a raging crowd.
"THESE TWO DEUSES ARE AMAZINGLY GIFTED BUT STRANGELY ENOUGH HAVE NEVER FACED EACH OTHER IN THE RING!" Fuko smirked across the room, and Kimiko did not return the smile.
"OUR FIRST DEUS, FUKO HANABASHI, IS A VETERAN DEUS THAT HAS ALREADY MADE A NAME FOR HERSELF BY WINNING FIVE PIFFLE PRINCESS TOURNAMENTS! THE ONLY ONE TO OUTBREAK THE RECORD IS KEIICHI TENDO, WINNING SIX, WHO, AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, IS IN THE VERY NEXT MATCH!" Hitomi bit her lip. Keiichi had only bested Fuko with one tournament. She must have been good.
"OUR NEXT DEUS, ARGUABLY JUST AS POPULAR, IS KIMIKO KORATO, WHO HAS MADE QUITE A DECENT NAME FOR HERSELF BY WINNING TWO PIFFLE PRINCESS TOURNAMENTS!"
"Can she win?" Hitomi asked Keiichi, "Fuko seems to be more experienced."
"And the winner of the hypocrite statement of the month award is Hitomi Masamichi!" Keiichi laughed and Usada giggled.
"What's so funny?" Hitomi asked.
"You just beat me," Usada explained. "I myself have won four tournaments. That was just your first battle."
"I suppose but--"
"But nuttin'," Keiichi sighed. "Experience has nothing to do with who wins or looses, unless you let yourself get intimidated by your opponent's reputation."
Hitomi stared at the two, smiling, for just a bit, then laughed, "You're right. Let's watch Kimiko kick butt!"
Kimiko breathed deeply as she rode up in her egg to tumultuous applause. Her goggles were placed over her face and she stood ready for the battle. If we can win this, the Megumi's camera is as good as replaced!
Fuko smiled as she rode up in her egg, never taking her eyes off Kimiko. Kimiko remained stoic as the announcer started to announce the angels.
"FIRST OFF!" The announcer began. "ANGEL SPIRA AND DEUS KIMIKO KORATO!"
Kimiko breathed deeply and flew Spira down into the layer. Spira did a somersault and landed on the layer, just like she had with Ikaya.
"SPIRA, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ANGELS AROUND, A LIGHTWEIGHT BUILT FOR SPEED, IS COMMANDED BY THE DEUS, KIMIKO KORATO, AN EIGTH GRADER AT ERIOL ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL. SPIRA'S BEEN PLAYING FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS NOW, AND HAS PROVED HER WORTH IN THE LAYER!"
As the crowd cheered, Kimiko rode up in her egg to face Fuko. Her eyes were blank, and she was ready for a fight.
"NOW, FOR FUKO'S HANABASHI'S ANGEL!" the announcer shouted and Fuko brought out her angel, "ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS A REGULAR IN ANGELIC LAYER THAT ANY DEUS WOULD HATE TO MEET IN BATTLE! WITH A WIN/LOSS RECORD OF 4:1, NOT MANY CAN OVERCOME THIS BEAUTY! ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS A LIGHT WEIGHT BUILT FOR SPEED AS WELL AS ANGEL SPIRA!"
Fuko blew kisses to all the cute boys in the audience and they blushed furiously.
"What a flirt," Tamayo scowled. "I hope she doesn't throw a kiss at you Koutaro-chan, I mean, you're taken."
Koutaro and Misaki blushed profusely, and Tamayo laughed hysterically at the two.
"Anyway," Misaki continued. "I've fought Fuko Hanabashi, and she's no easy opponent. Her angel's very strong, and she's a very strong Deus."
"Was she tougher then Hatoko, or Arisu?" Koutaro asked.
"No," Misaki smiled. "But she has the potential to be just as good, if not better."
Back on the floor, the match was about to begin, and Hitomi was biting her nails from her anxiousness.
"Chill, Hitomi," Keiichi said. "You won your match, so that gives us a bit of breathing room."
"Yeah, but," Hitomi started to pace. "I don't want Kimiko to loose!"
"There's no guarantee that she's going to," Keiichi smiled. "Stop worrying."
"You're right…Kimiko's good," Hitomi nodded. "But I'm still afraid that Fuko will try to mess with her head or something!"
"ANGEL BATTLE! ANGEL CHAN-CHAN VS. ANGEL SPIRA!" The announcer shouted. Kimiko and Fuko readied their angels.
Hitomi looked at her screen to get a good look at Fuko's angel. Angel Chan-Chan was colored completely golden. She wore a one-piece swim suit design armor that reached her neck and had holes in the front. She wore tall golden boots and long gloves that matched her flowing golden hair.
Hitomi sighed as she saw that Kuronai matched Chan-Chan in the fact that they both had an animal theme in their design. Chan-Chan's was obviously the rabbit. She had a pair of Golden rabbit ears and a golden rabbit fuzz tail. Her hands and feet were also designed to look like a rabbit. Chan-Chan seemed just as flirtatious as her dues, winking at Spira and leaning in provocative positions.
"FIGHT!"
The battle began, and Spira rushed forward, her leg extended. Chan-Chan smirked and moved out of the way of the kick. She made a speedy counter-attack, but Kimiko was ready and blocked with her forearm. Chan-Chan tried a sweeping kick, but Spira simply jumped over the kick and kicked Chan-Chan straight in the face!
"ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS DOWN!"
"Yeah!" Hitomi cheered as the attack connected. "Kimiko got through!"
"Don't get cocky," Akari frowned in Hitomi's direction. "Fuko's messing with your friend."
"Huh?" Hitomi asked, her eyes wide at Akari's statement. "What do you mean by that?"
Meanwhile, back on the battle field, Spira continued to dominate the match. Chan-Chan threw a punch at Spira, only to have Spira grasp her arm and jump onto her shoulders, throwing her to the ground with the launch of her feet.
"ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS DEFINITELY TAKING A BEATING OUT THERE FOLKS!" yelled the announcer. Many of the crowd members were cheering, others were booing that their beloved deus was being defeated.
"Hah!" Kimiko chuckled to herself. "I'm dominating this match! It's only a matter of time before Chan-Chan really takes a beating!"
With newfound confidence, Kimiko rushed forward, grasped Chan-Chan's arms and threw her onto the ground, scoring major damage.
"What did you mean?" Hitomi demanded. "What did you mean that Fuko is just messing with Kimiko?"
"It's Fuko's trademark move…" Usada murmured, and Hitomi turned to her. "It's nothing special. No magic, no E.S.P or fancy mechanical parts. She simply…"
"Simply what?" Keiichi asked, also interested.
"She performs psychological warfare on her opponent," Usada explained, and Hitomi's eyes widened. "Then, she unleashes her true technique. The opponent then pushes harder, thinking they've simply slowed down. In their rush and anger, Fuko strikes and wins."
"We've got to warn Kimiko!" Hitomi turned to Keiichi, who was shaking his head.
"We can't. It's against the rules," he told her. "And anyway, Kimiko is going to have to figure this out for herself. We can't just rush to her aid every time she meets up against a tough opponent."
"Y-you're right…but…" Hitomi looked at the screen. "I'm starting to get worried."
"ANGEL CHAN-CHAN TAKES YET ANOTHER HIT FROM ANGEL SPIRA!" The announcer shouted into his microphone. "ANGEL CHAN-CHAN'S DOWN TO ALMOST HALF HEALTH! WHAT WILL DEUS FUKO HANABASHI DO NOW?"
"Ready to give up?" Kimiko called from across the layer.
Fuko remained silent. She wasn't saying a word to Kimiko, her eyes were on the layer. She was in deep concentration, something that Kimiko hadn't expected from her opponent. Kimiko had thought that Fuko would have been throwing insults across the layer mercilessly in order to get her flustered and catch her off guard.
"I thought you said Fuko was going to mess with Kimiko's head," Hitomi asked Usada. "She hasn't said a word yet. What's up?"
"Fuko's waiting to make her move," Akari shot back. The others looked at her, intent on what their opponent had to say. "Kimiko Korato's ego is filling like a helium balloon. Fuko's about to spear it with a pin."
"AND ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS ALMOST PUSHED TO THE EDGE OF THE LAYER! DEUS FUKO HANABASHI IS REALLY HAVING SOME PROBLEMS OUT THERE! COULD THIS MEAN A VICTORY FOR KIMIKO KORATO?"
"Darn right!" Kimiko smiled, looking down at the layer. 'Across the face, Spira!' Spira obliged her Deus and gave Chan-Chan a swift kick across the face with her pale leg, making Chan-Chan fall to the ground.
"Any second now…" Akari murmured, smirking. Hitomi looked at the screen, worried.
"C'mon Kimiko…" Hitomi whispered to herself. "You can do this."
'A sweeping kick, Spira!' Kimiko directed, and Spira dropped to the ground, performing a sweeping kick at Chan-Chan, which she dodged by centimeters. 'Now counter-attack with a high kick! We've got her this time!'
Spira rose from her crouching position and kicked her long leg into the air straight towards Chan-Chan's face. Kimiko was sure that this would send Chan-Chan rushing out of the layer, winning the match!
"That the best you can do?"
Kimiko gasped as Chan-Chan grasped Spira's leg and threw her straight over her rabbit-eared head to the ground!
"Oh my gosh!" Hitomi gasped. "That move did major damage! What happened? Chan-Chan just got suddenly faster!"
"Chan-Chan could always pull off a move like that," Akari smirked at the screen. "Fuko's been toying with Korato."
Chan-Chan didn't stop at the slam. She then lifted her foot and made a swift stomp into Spira's stomach, causing major damage once again. The crowd was a mix of cheers and gasps at the sudden turn around.
"WHAT AN UPSET! ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS NOW PUNISHING ANGEL SPIRA! THE TABLES HAVE TURNED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
"No way!" Kimiko growled. 'Get up Spira! A punch in the stomach! Follow it up by throwing her across the layer!'
Spira rose to her feet immediately and threw her fist forward. Chan-Chan blocked, but Kimiko was ready with the throw. Spira grasped her opponent's waist and tried to throw her over her head.
"Please!" Fuko laughed. "You think that I'd fall for a move like that?"
Kimiko gasped again as she saw that Chan-Chan's hand were on Spira's waist as well! Can-Chan, with her superior speed and strength, threw Spira over her head, slamming her into the ground.
"Spira!" Kimiko screamed. 'Get up Spira! You were dominating before! Chan-Chan can't beat us!'
Spira rose to her feet again, and, at her Deus' command, ran into battle once again against the mighty golden-clad warrior.
"I don't get it!" Tamayo squealed, ruffling her hair. "Spira was dominating until now! What happened?"
"She's falling into Fuko Hanabashi's trap…" murmured Misaki from her spot past the stands.
"What trap?" Tamayo asked, eager to understand. "I don't get how Chan-Chan is all of a sudden winning this match so easily!"
"It's because Kimiko is flustered," Misaki explained, pointing to Kimiko in her egg. A close up of the Deus on the screen could see a look of extreme frustration on her face. "She saw herself as an easy win in the match, and she now feels upset."
"And therefore her moves are becoming sloppy…" Koutaro gathered, staring hard at the Layer. Misaki nodded, smiling.
"That's right! I just hope she can see through it, you know?" she smiled.
"That's just like you Misakichi!" Tamayo sighed, hugging Misaki around the neck, making Misaki shout her trademark "eeeeks!". "So cute! Marry me!"
"ANGEL SPIRA TAKES ANOTHER DEVASTATING HIT! SHE AND ANGEL CHAN-CHAN ARE NOW EQUAL IN HEALTH! WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THIS ODD TOSS UP MATCH?"
"Toss up nothing," Fuko smiled at Kimiko, and Kimiko looked up. Fuko was smirking wildly. "You know I'm going to win."
"Why did you let me win in the first half of the match?" Kimiko demanded, angry.
"Just gauging your abilities," Fuko winked. "Sorry girl, but I wasn't impressed."
"So you were just toying with me to see what I could do!" said Kimiko.
"Yep, that pretty much covers it," Fuko yawned. "Now attack again so we can finish this stupid match."
"Eurg!" Kimiko growled, her cheeks blushing pink. She returned to the layer, where both Chan-Chan and Spira were in a dead face off. 'We won't let her think this is going to be a cake-walk, Spira! Attack with you somersault air combo!'
Spira sprinted forward, only to throw her hands to the ground and spring upwards, gathering her body into a somersault position.
"IT SEEMS ANGEL SPIRA IS ABOUT TO UNLEASH HER TRADEMARK MOVE! THE SOMERSAULT AIR COMBO! ANGEL CHAN-CHAN HAD BETTER WATCH OUT! THIS MOVE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO TAKE MORE THEN HALF OF AN OPPOSING ANGEL'S HEALTH POINTS DOWN!"
The crowd started to cheer as Spira came down towards Chan-Chan. Slowly her leg began to poke out of the somersault, and soon she was in a full kicking position. 'At this speed, there's no way she can dodge!' Kimiko smirked. 'This match is mine! That'll teach her for treating me like an amateur!'
"How was that attack any different from the rest of your kicks?"
Kimiko gasped to see that Chan-Chan had a firm grasp on Spira extended leg! Spira was still in the air, and Chan-Chan had managed to turn the attack around on her!
Chan-Chan threw Spira to the ground, and Spira's health was reduced to nearly zero. "Oh my gosh! Spira!" Kimiko yelled, seeing her Angel being beaten to the ground by her opponent. 'Get up before she finishes you off!'
Spira rushed to her feet at her Deus' thought command and sprinted to the other side of the Layer, battered and bruised. Kimiko bit her thumb as Chan-Chan slowly moved in for the kill.
"Kimiko's having real trouble out there!" Hitomi said. "Another hit from Chan-Chan and she's down!"
"Fuko has this match in the bag," Akari smirked. "Just sit and watch your little friend get clobbered."
'What is it?' Kimiko asked herself. 'What am I doing wrong? I was doing fine before! Chan-Chan can't be that much better then Spira! They're both lightweight speed angels! They should have the same parameters and strength! I don't understand why this is happening!'
"Don't get flustered, Kimikoro!"
Kimiko looked up, but saw no one. She looked for Megumi and Sanosuke, but when she found them in the audience, they looked just as confused as her. Kimiko returned to the layer, thinking of what the voice had said. 'Flustered…flustered. That's it!'
She looked towards the Layer, then up at Fuko. 'Fuko made me believe that I was superior to Chan-Chan, lulling me into a false sense of security. But once Chan-Chan landed a hit on me, I became angry and confused. That made me a sitting duck to her attacks!'
Kimiko smiled, finally figuring out the trick. "What's so funny?" Fuko asked, frowning.
"Nothing," Kimiko shook her head. "This match is starting over right now! I've got full health and so do you!"
"Huh?" Fuko asked. "I'm not starting over. What the heck are you saying?"
"I mean hypothetically," Kimiko told her. "We're just two new Deuses meeting in the Layer! No prior attachments!"
"Whatever!" Fuko growled. "Just get ready to lose!"
Chan-Chan rushed forward, her fist ready to punch Spira. As her fist flew forward, Spira blocked it, and then gave Chan-Chan a knee in the stomach. "AND ANGEL SPIRA SCORES A HIT!"
"What the--?" Akari muttered, her eyes wide and confused. "Don't tell me she's calmed down!"
"You bet," Keiichi grinned at the screen. "Kimiko's back in this fight!"
"Why'd you shout that Tamayo?" Koutaro asked, sighing. "And what's with the Kimikoro?"
"She needs a cute nickname too, doesn't she?" Tamayo cheered, jumping up and down. "And thanks to my advice, Kimikoro's back in the game!"
"That's true," Misaki smiled, nodding. "C'mon Kimiko! You can do it!"
Spira lunged forward, launching a punch at Chan-Chan, of which she blocked. But Spira was ready. She thrust her other hand into Chan-Chan's face, blocking her view, and use her legs to throw Chan-Chan over!
"AN IMPRESSIVE MOVE FROM ANGEL SPIRA! KIMIKO KORATO IS BACK IN THE FIGHT! HOW WILL DEUS FUKO HANABASHI FIGHT BACK?"
"Darn," Fuko growled. "You figured it out, didn't you?"
"Clear as crystal," Kimiko smirked. "Your psychological mumbo jumbo is nothing against me anymore!"
"Fine," said Fuko. "Then a straight out fight. Let's see who's really worthy of being the winner, shall we?"
"Right!" Kimiko nodded, then looked back down at the Layer. Spira and Chan-Chan were matched in health, and both would lose if another blow was struck to them. Kimiko had to choose her moves wisely. 'Right! A straight out kick, followed by a sweeping with the leg, and then a stomp!'
Spira rushed forward, her move ready to be executed. She kicked high, but Chan-Chan dodged, and when she performed the sweeping kick, Chan-Chan did what any good rabbit would do.
She hopped.
Straight over Spira's head! Now, Chan-Chan had her back to Spira's. At first, Kimiko was confused as to the meaning of this move, but Chan-Chan made her motives obvious.
"ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS LINKING ARMS WITH ANGEL SPIRA!" It was true. Chan-Chan had linked her own golden gloved arms with Spira's blue sleeved ones and Spira was trapped! "SHE'S ABOUT TO USE THE RABBIT HOLE TECHNIQUE!"
"Spira! Oh no!" Kimiko shouted to her angel.
Chan-Chan flipped over, flattening Spira onto the layer, using her own weight and the force of the spin!
"THIS ATTACK IS RISKY! IT DAMAGES BOTH ANGELS! LET'S SEE IF IT'S A DOUBLE K.O.!"
Kimiko looked up towards the screen, as did Fuko. Kimiko knew that Fuko had taken a huge risk in order to win the match. The screen still read "calculating".
"AND ANGEL CHAN-CHAN IS THE WINNER!" The crowd exploded into cheers as Chan-Chan rose to her feet, a single health point left over from the attack. Kimiko looked down to see her own angel, Spira, on the ground, defeated. She sighed.
"I lost…" she murmured. The eggs lowered and both Deuses took off their headsets. Kimiko walked up to the Layer and picked up Spira, Fuko doing the same with Chan-Chan. "Good match."
"Same to you."
Kimiko looked over at Fuko to see that her hand was outstretched. She was smirking, yes, but Kimiko felt a sort of respect radiating from Fuko. Kimiko took her hand and shook it. "You played a good game," Fuko winked. "But in the end, I was just better then you."
Kimiko frowned at Fuko's cocky attitude. Luckily, the two remained silent all the way back to team room.
"It's okay you lost Kimiko!" Hitomi said immediately as Kimiko entered the room, throwing her arms around her friend. "Keiichi will win and then we'll win the match and you played great and Fuko cheated and-and-and-"
"That's okay Hitomi!" Kimiko laughed. "Spira's fine, and it's just one match. You've got to get used to losing in Angelic Layer. You're not always going to win."
"I-I-I know!" Hitomi sighed. "But I just didn't want you to feel bad that you lost."
"Well, sure I feel bad," Kimiko shrugged. "But it's no big whoop…Spira's okay."
"You ready to go?" Akari asked Keiichi, who had just stood up and was staring her down.
"You bet," Keiichi nodded, grabbing his carrying case that held Danichi. Akari also grabbed her carrying bag and the two walked out of the team room.
"It's time for the final match…" Hitomi murmured. "Keiichi and Akari! Don't worry Kimiko!" Hitomi smiled, watching Keiichi going out of the team room, his blonde head held high. "Keiichi would never lose!"
The End of this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! I know I did! I'm afraid to report that this fic will remain on hiatus until further notice. (Which means until my other fics get finished and my life gets a little less hectic. Heh, heh…)
Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the fight scenes in this chapter. I did my best with them!
Until then,
Ciao for now!
Next Time: The Battle is Decided: Keiichi and Akari Cross Swords