"Kajuu! Get up! You're going to miss your match!!" Kajuu's mom yelled from downstairs.
"No…I dun wanna…" Kajuu rolled over, and pulled the sheets over her head. As she pulled on the sheets, Sakuraryu, who was sitting on her pillow, fell off and hit the hardwood floor. Kajuu woke at the sound, and looked at Sakura. "MY MATCH!!!!!!!" She yelled as she grabbed her Angel. She ran to her closet grabbed some clothes, and threw them on. She then ran to the bathroom, brushed her teeth (and did all the other sanitary stuff). She grabbed her Angel Card and hopped out the door with only one shoe on. "Bye Mom! Love ya!"
"Good luck honey!" Her mom called after her. She watched her daughter get her other shoes on, and run out of sight.
*_*_*
"Here it is, Angelic Layer fans! The last battle of the National Tournament! Both Deus' have fought their way through, and here is where it ends! The champion from Block A, in the East Corner, DEUS: KRIYOU KAJUU! ANGEL: SAKURARYU!!!! The champion from Block B, in the West Corner, DEUS: HAIIRO KAZAN! ANGLEL: TAKI!!!!" The crowd went wild as both seats moved forward.
The Layer itself went dark. Everyone watched in anticipation for the Layer to be revealed. Then, and small light turned on. Then another, and another, until the whole Layer lit up. The surface had turned into a city at night. There were tall buildings and short buildings, but all were lit up.
"The final match will be held on the rooftops of a nighttime city!!" The announcer yelled into the microphone. "ANGELS TO THE LAYER!!!!!!!"
"Sakuraryu! Use the force of the Layer to topple this foe!" Kajuu tossed Sakuraryu into the Layer. "Angel, fall-in!" With her eyes closed, Sakura did a split and thrust her left had downwards. She seemed to stay suspended for a second or two. Then, she moved the same hand upward, and she plummeted towards the Layer at an amazing speed. She landed with one knee out, kneeling, and the other leg tucked under her body. Her left hand was in front, and her right had at her side, making a fist. As soon as she hit the ground, her purple eyes shot open. She stayed crouched down, ready for the match to start.
"Raging water! Guide Taki to victory!" She threw her angel into the Layer. "Angel fall-in!!" Taki's short blue hair billowed behind her as she rose in the air. She did three summersaults, and then thrust her hands downward to the Layer, and did a head dive straight towards the ground. Just before the Angel smashed into the ground, she shot her feet down below her, and landed softly on her feet. Both Angels stood, staring intensely at each other.
"ANGELIC FIGHT!!!!!!!!!"
Sakuraryu stayed crouched down, but when Taki suddenly disappeared, Sakura stood up. Her first mistake. Taki ended up behind Sakura, and was quick to put her in a headlock. Sakura's hands flew up to her neck where Taki's arms rested. Taki then bent backwards, and threw Sakura down the side of the building. Sakura tried to grab something, but there were no holds. 'Will it end like this? Are we just going to fall to our doom?' Kajuu thought as she closed her eyes tightly. In doing so, she got caught in a flashback.
It was two years ago that Hikaru and Shirahime fought each other on the beach. Hikaru was at a disadvantage, until her Deus, Suzuhara Misaki noticed the ocean. She tried one last move, and sunk Shirahime and herself down to the bottom of the ocean.
'THAT'S IT!' Kajuu opened her eyes, and Sakura threw a punch at one of the windows. The window shattered, and Sakura found a hold. She pulled herself through the window. She leapt up through the ceiling of two more floors, then smashed the window, and leapt out onto the top of a shorter building.
"I'm glad you decided to continue the match." Kazan commented as Taki jumped down to the same building. They both put up their guards, neither moving. They stood for a few seconds, until finally, they both charged. Taki did a high kick, but Sakura crouched down low. Taki was caught by surprise as Sakura thrust her hands behind herself, and threw her feet into the air. Her toe caught Taki in the cheek, and Taki flew across the building top. The single kick had brought Taki's damage meter to meet Sakuraryu's.
As soon as Taki got up, she charged again, and this time, scored a punch. Sakura's head turned to the side; she then bent over, threw her leg up, and hit Taki in the stomach. Again, the two Angels damage meters were tied.
"Lets go, Taki." Kazan said. Taki leapt into the air, and Sakuraryu put up a guard. As Taki came down, she got low enough to punch up a Sakura's arms. This removed the guard, and Taki gave a final blow to Sakuraryu's stomach. Sakura flew back with her eyes closed, then flopped back onto the building. Her health points reached zero, and the crowd erupted.
"TAKI WINS!!! With a final blow to Sakuraryu's stomach, Taki takes the vitory!!"
"No…" Kajuu whispered. "T-that was my move…I should have known what was going to happen…" Kajuu's chair was lowered, and she picked up Sakuraryu. "I'm so sorry…I failed you…" She stepped out of the chair, and went over to Kazan. "Congratulations. You really deserve it." Tears began to well up until Kajuu could hold them in no longer. She walked out of the stadium, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
*_*_*
Kajuu sat in the waiting room. She couldn't find the strength to walk any further. "I lost…in the first tournament…then…what was it all for? I entered another tournament…only to be defeated again?" She sat, crying, for another five minutes. "This is stupid!" She started to softly hit herself. "Why am I crying! The past is behind me! It's over! You lost baka!" She forced a smile. "All we can do now is try harder next year…right, Sakuraryu?" She smiled at the Angel who had tried so hard for her.
"Thank you, Sakuraryu." Kajuu smiled, and could've sworn Sakuraryu smiled back at her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Q~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yahoo!!! First Year, DONE!!! Go me!! *dances* Thanks for all the support! I would like to thank Sakura Greenleaf, Chrissie-chan, Sakura Takanouchi, and AmyStar for reviewing!!! And once I get my website up (the link to it will be on my bio) I will have pictures and bios of all the characters (even the CLAMP ones) and hopefully pictures too! I would really like to thank CLAMP, because Angelic Layer is © to them!!
Everyone's Favorite Neighborhood Rabid Fan Girl,
3Mugen3