Author's Note: Wah! My best friend (now my ex-bet friend) and I are fighting. So While I have some freed up time because I don't call or talk to her on AIM anymore I'll write more chapters. Anyways. Hope you like this chapter! Reviews would be very much loved!

Hrdc0re: Why didn't u go 2 practice?

Rocknrolla: I forgot, sorry…

Hrdc0re: S'okay Miyako.

Rocknrolla: 'kay.

Hrdc0re: I also heard from anonymous sources that u played hooky 2 go 2 a fight. Are my sources correct?

Rocknrolla: Claire's eyes did not deceive her. I went to the public tournament.

Hrdc0re: How did u know it was Claire?

Rocknrolla: Because you don't have any other sources besides Claire and me. I got to get ready for school. And you need to also. Ciao

Hrdc0re: C'ya

Hrdc0re has signed off.

Rocknrolla has signed off.

Miyako had signed on earlier for no particular reason, and apparently so had Chris. Today was only a half-day and there was no school tomorrow since there were going to be some renovations at Seakittie.

Digging in her closet Miyako was able to find one of her black uniform skirts, and one clean white uniform shirt. I really need to do laundry today. She mentally wrote herself a note to do her laundry today.

Quickly getting dressed she dashed downstairs, grabbed a Pop-tart and her school bag and headed out of the door. Trotting down her brick stairs that led to the sidewalk something caught the red head's eye.

A tall boy dressed in the same style uniform as herself. Crisp, white collared shirt with the Seakittie High School logo, black pants (although girls were allowed to have their choice of skirt), and a bag that also had the Seakittie High School logo on it. He looked sort of familiar too. He had messy/spiky blonde hair and powder blue eyes like Claire, she didn't want to admit it but he was kind of cute.

Miyako trotted a little faster, pretending not to notice him. She flicked her hair a couple times to get his attention, until he finally spoke to her, "Hey… Aren't you that Deus at the public tournament on Sunday?"

Turning around Miyako acted surprised, as if she hadn't known he was there, "yes! We're you there?" So that's where I must've seen him!

"Yeah. You did all those freaky dance moves."

Offended by this Miyako spun around and waked faster.

"Hey! Wait! I meant it in a good way!" he ran to keep up with her.

Turning to look at him again a little grin etched itself on her face; "Out of curiosity how many times a day does your mouth get you in trouble?"

He pretended to ponder this for a moment, "What time is it."

Miyako grinned, amused, "I'm Haya Miyako." She held out a hand.

"Jesse Kimoni." He replied, instead of shaking her hand he curled his into a fist, tapping the top of her hand and the bottom.

He's sort of like a surfer dude or whatever. But he's funny. She thought. She had seen plenty of surfers do the same thing. "Is it your first day at Seakittie?"

"Yeah." Jesse replied, "Kinda nervous."

"Can I see your schedule?"

Jesse handed Miyako his class schedule, she examined it then grinned, "That's kind of weird. You and I are in the same grade and we have the same classes."

That's 'cause Chief Mihara hacked the school system and set it up that way… he thought, "Heh. Yeah, that is weird. But cool, no?"

She only smiled, and then glanced at her watch. "Oi! We better hurry or we'll be late."

Seakittie High, East Hallway

"That's way weird. Your locker is opposite mine." Miyako said pointing to her locker on the opposite side of the hall.

That was Icchan too… "Talk about strange."

"Totally strange. But hey, you got the locker next to the snack machine." The red head grinned. Her grin faded as a familiar, high-pitched voice rung down the East Wing.

"Mimi!"

"So help me God…" Miyako whispered, bracing herself. The brunette rocketed down the hallway locking Miyako in a bear hug.

"Friend of yours?" Jesse asked.

Not able to breath Miyako didn't answer, except for a quick nod. Chris, who had been following Claire, panted as she came onto the scene. After taking a moment to catch her breath she pulled Claire off Miyako. Miyako dropped onto her knees, gasping. "Claire, you know what happened to Miyako LAST time you gave her a bear hug."

"I sowwy. But I'm just so excited!" Claire stifled a giggle, remembering how Miyako had to be rushed to the hospital last time. It's not her fault ribs break so easy?

"About what?" Jesse asked.

"The tournament silly! It's all over school!" Claire giggled. "Oh! And I gave Shani a voice last night!" The brunette removed the ballerina Angel out of her backpack. Though nothing about the Angel had changed at all it's Deus seemed ecstatic.

"Jesse just got here. He's only been in school for five minutes so how would he know. I don't know either though." Miyako shrugged; obviously she's recovered from the death hug.

"There's this big tournament that's going to be held here soon. The winner gets a lot of money and Angel points and stuff!" Chris explained, "And! The winner also gets to battle the East Coast Angelic Layer Champ!"

"Just how much money are we talking about?" Jesse asked.

"Five-thousand dollars." Claire smiled.

"I'm so in!" Jesse and Miyako cried in unison.

Claire seemed offended by this, "Guys. Angelic Layer isn't about the money. It's about the joy and pleasure one receives from the game." She said this in the most feminine voice she could salvage.

"Lesee… I had curry ramen yesterday so I think I might just have chicken flavored today…" Jesse mumbled to himself, obviously not paying her attention.

The redhead also paid no attention. "With five thousand dollars I could hire a butler, maybe he'll do my homework for me…" she muttered to herself, dollar signs replaced her normal emerald eyes.

"ARE YOU LISTENING?" Claire roared.

A few hours and some bruises later…

Miyako practically rolled into her house, tired and sore in the spots Claire had hit her when she went nuts after Jesse and her didn't pay attention. "I'm so glad to be home…" She started the difficult journey – in a sense – up her stairs, shocked and angered by the sight that befell her eyes.

"Today was the worst day of my life! My crush saw me with a wad of gum stuck to my shirt! I almost died from embarrassment!" Miyako's little sister, Khaki, read her diary OUT LOUD to two of her little school friends while bouncing up and down on her bed. And was wearing one of her bras! The trio turned to stare at Miyako, in the doorway, who was having a meltdown.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM YOU SCUM COATED POND CREATURES!" She screamed while launching herself into the room and lunged for her little sister. The three first graders shrieked and stumbled over each other to exit the room.

By this time Miyako's face was as red as her hair, she successfully managed to retrieve her diary, and her bra. By force though; she grabbed her little sister by her collar and literally threw her out of the room.

Lucky for Khaki, the floor was carpeted and she got away with just a rug burn.

Slamming the door behind the three frightened girls the red head climbed up onto her loft bed and fell face flat onto her soft black and blue pillows. She also screamed into them, only making muffled noises though.

Glancing around for any other missing objects, Miyako was happy to find that nothing so far was missing. Then it hit her Haru was missing.

"KHAKI!" she roared storming out of the room.

Trudging down the hallway the red head angrily stomped into her sister's room. "WHERE'S HARU?" she roared. Her little sister and her friends were playing with dolls in Khaki's room.

"Who's Haru?" they asked.

"My Angel! Silver hair. Red eyes. About ye high." Miyako parted her hands vertically to about Haru's height.

"Oooooohhhh… You mean Kelly."

"What?"

"Kelly! We call her Kelly!" Khaki held up Haru, who was dressed in a fluffy, pink ball gown and with many little bows tied in her spiky silver hair.

"Kelly? What the crap! That's my Haru!" Miyako cried snatching 'Kelly' out of Khaki's hands.

"Give us back Kelly!" Khaki cried back, jumping forward to try and grab for Haru.

"It's my Angel! And for crying out loud her name is Haru!"

"It's Kelly! And you don't even play with dolls! What do you care?"

"Yes I do! I do care and I do play with dolls!"

The room fell silent; Khaki inhaled a deep breath. Then she blurted, "MIYAKO PLAYS WITH DOLLIES!"

"I-I m-meant," she was a goner.

"MIYAKO PLAYS WITH DOLLS! MIYAKO PLAYS WITH DOLLS!" the little girls chanted.

It must have been a record, for the first time in at least aweek Miyako's face turned cherry red.

End Note: This was so freaking hard to write! For one thing I had writers block. And also, I really don't feel like writing this story anymore. Sad as it is. I seriously considered discontinuing it. But after I got all those reviews I decided to keep going. You guys really do keep me writing. Thanks again Daydreamer, Motoko, Saint X, and Lauraline!

Pssssstttt! One more thing! I have already started writing the sequel to Against the Odds.