Reihn's notes: I have none actually ;;; thanks for dropping by.
Chapter Four: Determination
"And the winner, who had just won her way to the finals of the Kanto Regional. Hatoko Kobayashi and her angel Suzuka!!!" the crowd cheered on and on as her fans rushed to her as soon as she got out of the arena.
"Congratulations Hatoko-san!!!" the girls screamed as she passed by and then another crowd of girls and reporters came to her and interviewed her.
"Miss Hatoko, now that you're at the finals of the Kanto Regional, what move are you planning to do next? And whom do you want to beat in this tournament so badly that you showed no mercy on any of your opponents this year." Hatoko's smile faded from her face and changed it to a frowning one.
"I… plan to beat the Champion of Angelic Layer herself. Misaki Suzuhara."
"Wow, that's a very straight answer Miss Kobayashi. What's your reason why you want to defeat her so badly then? If the masses may know, that is." Hatoko smiled and replied with a symbolic statement.
"The reason why I want to beat her so badly this time around? Well you see— it's to talk to her again the way I used to before."
"Huh? What do you mean by that? Well it's okay if you won't answer. What would you say to her now if Misaki is watching this show?"
"Misaki… no, Champion of the Layer. I, along with Suzuka will defeat you and Hikaru no matter what so be prepared for our showdown in the near future."
"Then that must mean that you see no one else besides her as a threat to you, is that it?"
"I'm not a big headed brat to say that in such an offhand manner. It's not that I don't see any of my enemies as opponents who are really good enough to beat me. It's just that I'm really just focused on Misaki and nobody else. I'm always like that with her, on and off the Layer." She casually said as she put her sunglasses on again and pocketed her hands in her pants. The people around her blinked twice then they shook their heads as if they seem to have heard something wrong.
"Would you care to explain that to us then Miss Hatoko? … Miss Hatoko?!" Hatoko started walking away from them in strides as the reporter and her loyal fans started running to her for some explanations.
"Sorry girls but that's all I can tell for today!" she said as she dashed faster than all of them and turned to a corner.
"Follow her! That's a dead end, there's now way she can get away from us now!!!" a girl exclaimed knowingly but when they arrived at the corner.
"Where is she? She's disappeared." When they turned their backs, Hatoko appeared again from under the sofa in that corridor. She dusted off some dirt and grinned.
"It really pays to watch some Anime comedy from time to time." She happily exclaimed as she casually walked out again now wearing a cap to prevent girls from discovering it's her and crowd around her before getting home.
- -
Two weeks earlier…
o.O;;;;;;;;
"HATOKO!!!!!!" Hatoko turned around to see who was calling her then suddenly somebody fell from the tree next to her and pounced on her like a mountain lion and attempted to break her neck by hugging it.
"TAMAYO-SAN!!!" Hatoko gasped for breath as Tamayo let goes of her.
"What was that for?!!"
"Well I have the right to since I've been looking for you for ages." They sat on a bench nearby and after Hatoko took some water for Tamayo they began talking again.
"Why were you looking for me in the first place? If you wanted to see me this badly you should have just called me by the phone you know. Or you must have had forgotten that I have my number on your cell 'again'." Hatoko looked at her annoyed as Tamayo stuttered at her foolishness.
"Ah— Eh Gomen—." She said as Hatoko heaved a sigh.
"So what was this all about again Tamayo-san?" Hatoko said with some annoyance in her voice. But deep in her she thinks that she already know what Tamayo would ask her and talk to her about.
"This is about Misaki." Hatoko looked at her boredly as if she was just simply in a boring old history class.
"Wow. What a surprise, what next? You're gonna ask me to do this and that or something else to ease up the tense between the two of us?"
"Can you stop being sarcastic? You know that I'm Misaki's best friend and I should at least do something to help her…" but suddenly Hatoko talked back sharply.
"Help her?!!! Yeah right! Why should I help her in the first place?!! She don't feel anything about what I've told her. She just ignored it like it's nothing. She didn't even give me a goddamned chance!!! Had she even tried talking with me? NO! And when I tried to talk to her— she just ignored me— and told me to forget that we had even met!!!"
"You know… you know how timid and shy Misaki is right? She hadn't changed as much as you thought she had Hatoko." With this Hatoko turned to her and angrily exclaimed.
"What do you mean she hadn't changed that much?! She changed completely!!! … Well to me she had." Hatoko ended with a low voice and looked at the ground.
"Why do you think she's doing all of these then huh? I mean… she still cares about you though she doesn't show it I'm sure."
"What are you talking about Tamayo? You know you shouldn't lie about things like these. Especially when my temper is reaching its limit." Tamayo chuckled and tapped her nose.
"Come on Hatoko, don't you know who you're talking to? I won't lie. I know that she still do though she won't admit it. She'll cry when she'd think about you. She misses you too I'm sure. But I'm also sure that she still don't know how she feels about you but there's still that small chance right?" she knowingly said in a sing-song voice as Hatoko blinked twice.
"…"
"So… you mean that I might still have some chance on her? But by the way she's acting … I don't really think that I could ever have a chance of her."
"Oh come on… she's just wearing that ice mask of hers again. She's still not sure so she don't want you to have hopes again. She just don't want to hurt you that badly again. Like I said earlier… she still cares a lot about you Hatoko." Hatoko blushed a bit and took out her cell phone. She looked at their picture in it. That was taken three years ago after the Angelic Championships and Misaki had first protected her title. Misaki was hugging Hatoko and they were both very cute and red.
"Hey… that's a cute picture of you and Misaki together!" Tamayo exclaimed as Hatoko blushed profusely.
"Hey!"
"So… what are you going to do now? I've done my job."
"What do you mean what I'm going to do now? I won't talk to Misaki ever again. She stated that part clearly to me already and I don't want to disrespect her decision just like that."
"WHAT?!!!!!!!!"
"What?" Hatoko asked simply as Tamayo stood up before her.
"YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET HER SLIP AWAY FROM YOU AGAIN BESIDES ALL THE THINGS I'VE JUST TOLD YOU?!!!"
"Can you keep your voice down? It's really embarrassing." Hatoko mumbled as some people began looking at the two of them. Tamayo angrily sat down again and kept her mouth shut for some minutes when Hatoko speak up.
"I have other methods of how to talk to her again without breaking that rule." Tamayo looked at her and saw a smiling Hatoko. She knew that facial expression. That face was what Hatoko had on her face whenever she's confident in something.
"Tamayo-san. Please tell Misaki, that I truly love her and that this is not just an obsession. It's just pure and true love." She stood up and was going to leave before she commented on what she almost forgot.
"And please don't tell Kotaro about this. I don't want him or our parents worry more about me. And also don't tell them where I live okay? I'm currently having an impermanent visitor at my apartment so don't." she covered her mouth as she let slip something that she shouldn't have. Tamayo had just realized something else…
"What do you mean impermanent visitor?! You mean you're living with someone else right now!!! You mean to say that you're throwing all the love you've had for Misaki to another person?!!" she roughly shook Hatoko's shoulders but Hatoko quickly thought of a lie.
"Come on!!! When I meant impermanent visitor I mean my friend's pet Emika a Russian blue cat she wanted me to take care of while she's on vacation in the Philippines. Somewhere around Boracay I think." Tamayo blushed in embarassment and laughed it out.
"Sorry! I thought you're playing around another girl while waiting for Misaki's answer, what was I thinking about! Besides that can't be Erika Lee either since she's a rich kid and won't be used to be just living in an apartment!!!" they both laughed and bid their byes after that. After making sure Tamayo was a distance far enough to speak safely she sighed with relief.
--
"Hi Toko-chan." Erika said while taking Hatoko's hand as they walked out the Angelic Layer Stadium. And when they reached the park in front of the stadium they went to the part where not much people goes into.
"Congratulations Toko-chan…" Erika softly praised as she wrapped her arms around Hatoko's body. Hatoko blushed a bit but didn't stop her sweet actions since there's no one around. They sat under a tree and watched the lake as Erika continued to snuggle next to Hatoko.
"Thanks." Hatoko is still confused with her relationship with Erika. To her Erika is just another medium to pour out all the passion she reserved for Misaki. But she don't know what Erika is thinking about, since most of the time they'd be together, the only things they'd be doing is to do those sweet romantic stuffs but less talking about how each other felt. So she really feels bad about playing with Erika's emotions like this. If only Misaki hadn't turned her down then she wouldn't be torturing this girl's heart then.
But suddenly as if Erika knew what Hatoko was thinking she pushed herself away from her with a sad face.
"I know that you don't really like me that much Toko-chan." Hatoko was startled at this statement but she kept her calmness and waited what Erika would say next.
"But that still doesn't matter to me. I truly love you and even if you come to a point where you don't need me anymore I'd still go on and loving you and only you."
In an instant Hatoko grabbed Erika and embraced her the moment she saw Erika's tears fall from her eyes.
"Please don't torture yourself this much Erika. I know it's very hard for you to feel this way because this is the same thing I'm going through right now. To tell you the truth I don't know what to do now. It's not that I don't like you at all it's just that … my feelings towards this other girl is much stronger. And it's been multiplied a lot more times than it should because of our history together. I'm really sorry Erika." Erika shook her head and smiled.
"No, it's alright Toko-chan… I understand you, it's just that sometimes the pain would come bubbling to the surface time to time you know."
"I know what you mean Erika."
"So, don't worry about my feelings. Just be the way you are and do the things you want to do. Just remember that I'll always be there if you ever need me okay?"
"Okay Erika." Hatoko smiled and kissed Erika deeply. At least now she know that Erika had readied herself already for what might happen between them in the future. Hatoko ended their blissful kiss and caressed Erika's face. Erika held that hand and kissed it lightly and placed it on top of her heart. Then she rested on Hatoko's chest and slept for a while. Hatoko looked at the lake and watched the water glimmer as the sun's rays shone on it.
"I… plan to beat the Champion of Angelic Layer herself. Misaki Suzuhara."
"Wow, that's a very straight answer Miss Kobayashi. What's your reason why you want to defeat her so badly then? If the masses may know, that is."
"The reason why I want to beat her so badly this time around? Well you see— it's to talk to her again the way I used to before." Misaki switched off the tv and sighed sadly on the couch and comb Hikaru's hair.
"Hikaru… what do you think I should do now? Hatoko wants to fight with me on the layer. What should I do?"
"I think maybe you should do your best so that you may fight her in the finals too." Misaki turned around startled and saw Tamayo over her shoulder. Tamayo showed her usual wide grin and sat besides Misaki.
"Hatoko still loves you." Misaki looked down and placed Hikaru gently on the table.
"I know…"
"But why not give her a chance?"
"I don't want to give her false hopes."
"How sweet. You care for her so much you don't want to hurt her feelings anymore."
"Quit it Tamayo-chan!!! This is not a joking matter!!!" Misaki said crossly. Tamayo sighed and looked at her seriously.
"Of course it's not." She turned on the television once again and noticed that there's a CD in it.
"You've recorded the interview of Hatoko?" she asked with a smile. Misaki blushed a bit but tried very hard to look unaffected.
"Let's watch it again then!"
"HEY!" they continued watching and the two made no comments until 'that' part begun.
"Then that must mean that you see no one else besides her as a threat to you, is that it?"
"I'm not a big headed brat to say that in such an offhand manner. It's not that I don't see any of my enemies as opponents who are really good enough to beat me. It's just that I'm really just focused on Misaki and nobody else. I'm always like that with her on and off the Layer." Tamayo rewind it. Again and again until Misaki had it with her jokes.
"STOP IT!"
"Why are you blushing? Because Hatoko had just indirectly told the masses that she loves you very much?" Misaki calmed herself down and nodded in agreement.
"Why had you rejected Hatoko?"
"Because it's wrong. Women are not supposed to love each other. It's a sin." Tamayo's smile faded off her face and frowned at her.
"So you're telling me now that caring for another woman is a sin? Feeling compassion and love is a sin?"
"Then I'm a sinner too Misaki. I love you as my best friend, to feel compassion and to care for you is also a sin is that it? You're like my little sister Misaki. So I want the best for you. Tell me, had you found any man who had cared for you at least half of how Hatoko had? Had those guys who played with your emotions respected your decisions? None of them ever did right? But look at Hatoko, she patiently waited for you, respected your decision though it pained her in an unbearable manner."
"That's madness Tamayo. I can't love a person just because they're head over heels with me. I should feel the same towards them first." Misaki said grumpily, she don't know why Tamayo wanted so much to pair her with Hatoko.
"Don't you? Even with just 10 of your current emotion? With Hatoko?"
"Tell me then why are you so intent of making me love Hatoko?"
"Because I know that with Hatoko… you'd be much happier than those liars crowding around you each day."
"How could you know?" Misaki said in such an angry manner Tamayo replied with this.
"Misaki… I had never thought you could ever be this cold and quick-tempered with Hatoko. Just because she told you she loves you. I'm really disappointed with you. Had you even forgotten that she's a friend of yours who had supported you more than Kotaro and I had ever done for you? In fact if it weren't for Hatoko… you won't be the champion of the layer now." Tamayo stood up silently and started walking out the door but before she left she told Misaki one more thing.
"Hatoko… is the perfect lover Misaki and I pity you for rejecting a person like her." Then she closed the door. Misaki was stunned for a couple of seconds after she left then she replied angrily.
"AND WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO DECIDE FOR ME THEN?!!!"
It's not that she's angry at Tamayo for making her see what Hatoko really feels for her. It's just that for her, this is a very private thing that even Tamayo have no right to butt into. She looked at the tv, Tamayo had paused it when Hatoko was saying that she is planning to fight her in the championship finals. Her face is marked with so much sadness. So sad that Misaki turned her face away because it's so unbearable for her to see her like that, especially when she knows exactly who that person is that is making Hatoko feel the greatest pain in her heart right now.
"Suzuka!!! Above you!!!" Hatoko exclaimed as she went on practicing with a special Layer engine that manipulates angels without a person making them move. Pretty much like a programmed doll. She went on like this for a few more hours and after three she took off the headgear and panted for breath. Suddenly she felt a soft towel on her face, drying her face off the perspiration that was on it as she was focusing on Suzuka's moves. She took it away when her face was dry enough and looked at a smiling Erika.
"Still practicing hard I see." Erika handed her a lemonade that she gladly took and gulped almost in an instant. "You should have a day off too sometimes you know. All you were doing these days is practice the Layer, practice with your band, sometimes go to school and practice more with Suzuka. You don't even have enough time to…." She paused and blushed for a moment and tried to pretend that she weren't about to say very embarrassing to Hatoko. Hatoko got the problem and after wiping a bit more of her perspiration she headed for the shower.
"I'll just be taking a bath." She said silently and walked towards the bathroom. And after dressing herself up she smiled at the mirror before showing herself to Erika.
"Erika… would you like to go somewhere else with me? I was thinking about what you said and I decided to have a day-off." She said as she stood behind Erika.
"Really?! I-" she cut short when she saw what Hatoko was wearing. She was wearing a white polo folded up a bit at the sleeves and its first two buttons was unbuttoned so she looked like a real hottie, wore simple loose jeans and a pair of white AND1 shoes. Also she had put on some SUAVE on her hair so she really looks chic.
"Toko-chan you look…" Hatoko moved down to her and grabbed her waist and lifted her chin up.
"Irresistable… I know." She laid her lips on hers and pushed her tongue in. Erika moaned at the pleasure of Hatoko's tongue and sighed as Hatoko broke their long kiss. Hatoko kissed her neck and bit it a bit and Erika moaned again at the delight of having a love bite from Hatoko. Then she took Erika's hand and kissed it endearingly.
"So, you want to go out with me Erika-chan?" this time Erika was the one to move first and pushed Hatoko down to the floor and kissed her so intensely all Hatoko could do is response to her kiss until she finally stops. Erika had a taste of passion, her head suddenly became dizzy, and all she could ever think of now is playing with Hatoko.
"Erika I invited you to a date not an all-nighter love making feast." Hatoko joked as Erika suddenly noticed their position and blushed.
"Sorry. So I better be changing to some clothes then." She muttered blushingly and exited to their room. Hatoko chuckled a bit and suddenly noticed that her vagina was throbbing hard a while ago. She blushed too but she shook her head and focused on Misaki instead. Meanwhile Erika was so excited with their date that it took her half an hour before being able to choose the best one that she think would suit her to be with Hatoko. Then she emerged from the room looking just as stunning as Hatoko. She wore a one a red and slim piece dress that hugged her curves perfectly and a stylish hole in the suit to show most of her stomach and navel and finally a high cut up to her hips. And white sandals and long ruby earrings to match her ruby bracelets. And she had styled her hair in such a way that men are sure to turn their heads at her.
"Erika, you look absolutely great. Well, shall we?" Hatoko invited her as she raised her right arm to Erika, whom gladly took it with a slightly red face.
First they went to a horror movie about a girl who was stranded in an island filled with corpse, vampires and cannibals. They were halfway finishing the movie when Erika screamed at one shot where the cannibals began eating their own kind because of the trick the girl had played on them and it can be assured that it was utterly disgusting. She grabbed Hatoko who was simply stuck on her seat and was shocked as well but had managed to control herself unlike Erika. After that they had fun discussing the movie at an ice cream parlor nearby. Then they road a swan boat at a lake then rested under some trees for a while and talk about more things.
Hatoko was leaning by a tree, sitting while Erika's head is on her shoulder.
"So Toko-chan how come you started playing in a band? Weren't you more into the layer before?" she said as she sat up straight.
"Well you see besides the Layer I noticed that I don't do something else besides it. So I decided to find something that I could pour my emotions into and that's where I came to music. At first it was pretty hard for me to learn rock music since my parents don't like it as much as I do." She said remembering the way her parents reacted at her music. And it was certainly not very much a nice memory to remember.
"Well I do like it very much. It's very beautiful, too bad your parents can't see that."
"Heck if you think that that reaction of theirs was already saddening, just imagine their reaction when I cut my long raven hair short." She jokingly said and they both laughed.
"That must have been a disaster."
"You tell me about it. And how about you? Why had you suddenly decided to change your genre to Rock? Weren't you the classical type?"
"I were never much of the classical type for your information. It were my parents who wanted me to play classic music. It's not that I don't like classics but too much of something is not that good for a person."
"I completely agree. You know I wonder sometimes why parents almost always disagree with their children."
"Me too."
…
"Erika. Why did you turn to rock?"
"It's because of you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You may not remember it but I was one of those girls in the crowd when you first performed. It was in that great bar two years ago. Unfortunately its been closed down now, anyway as I was saying…."
"I saw you perform there for the first time. It was the same night I escaped our mansion to have fun with my friends in a nearby bar and there you were, my idol in Angelic Layer. Hatoko Kobayashi playing live at the first bar I went in to." Hatoko blushed when she recalled how nervous she was then because she's not used to people listening to her.
FLASHBACK
"Hey, all of you people, listen up!!!! Here's our Hatoko Kobayashi, she's our newest performer in this club so please give her a round of cheers for her first stage performance." When Hatoko stepped out of the curtains and into the stage the girls began screaming. It was Hatoko of the Layer. Hatoko blushed a bit then stood behind the microphone. After adjusting it a bit she strummed the strings of her guitar and played it solo at its beginning. Then suddenly it turned fast halfway and that where the band kicked in. After two more songs Hatoko thanked all of them for watching her first performance live. She stepped down the stage and a lot of girls flocked around her. But one girl who was part of the group didn't flock to her the others did instead she just stood there staring at her. Hatoko noticed the blonde girl and smiled at her, she made her way through the crowd and walked towards her. The girl whom looked like she woken up from a dream blushed as she realized that Hatoko was actually walking to her. Then when Hatoko stopped before her she smiled.
"Hi, I'm Hatoko. May I ask why you were looking at me the entire time I was here? It was very intriguing."
"Uh… nothing much it's just that it's hard to believe that it was just your first time." She stuttered as Hatoko blushed at the compliment.
"Oh… thank you. Actually I was very nervous. Was it okay? My three songs I mean? They said it was great but I'm not so sure." The blonde girl suddenly seem to lose her shy and answered back with such strength Hatoko was very surprised.
"No way! It was one of the greatest performance I've seen and the songs are wonderful!" Hatoko's eyes widened a bit and smiled.
"Thank you." She said and kissed the girl's cheek lightly and grinned.
"That's my friendly way of saying thank you. See you next time then— if we ever see each other again I think." She said happily as she darted of to the back stage to greet her friends. The girl stared at the table for a long time before blushing and realizing that Hatoko had just kissed her on her cheek.
END OF FLASHBACK
"You mean to say that blonde girl was you!!!!!!!" Hatoko exclaimed with outmost surprise.
"Yep you got it right Toko-chan. But after that I failed to go to your other performances because I sneaked out of the house to watch in that bar and after that my parents grounded me forever until I'm eighteen. And just earlier before I saw you trying to end your life I was thinking already of starting a new on rock and my life as well and that's where you came in, now I'm able to get as far away from them as possible." Erika kissed cheek and laid her head on her chest.
"Erika would you like to go somewhere else? We still have the whole day to do whatever we want."
"I think I'd like to go by the mall then to the amusement park." Hatoko smiled and stood up. She offered a hand for Erika to stand up and held her hand.
"Let's go then." She said and she followed. Then they went to Tokyo Disneyland though it's a bit far from where they were earlier. And lastly the ride they rode for last is the Ferris Wheel.
"Wow! The night scene is really amazing!"
"Yes. It really is, isn't it?" Hatoko asked as she held Erika warmly next to her. But while she was doing it she remembered Misaki once again. She just can't stop thinking about her even when she's already with another girl. She just simply loved Misaki too much to eradicate her completely in her heart.
"Toko-chan…." Erika gently whispered as she sat closer to Hatoko and leaned towards her face for a kiss. Hatoko blushed faintly and lifted her chin up and kissed her romantically. Then Erika sighed lightly on her chest as they breathed silently, looking at the beautiful night scenery.
"Kotaro, have you seen your younger sister lately?" A man with a deep voice and a pair of spectacles said as Kotaro stopped eating and replied to his father.
"No, father I hadn't been able to see her personally yet, nor had she allowed me to contact her through e-mail or text messages. I'm also worried about her." His father sighed as his mother sobbed a bit. Then his father frowned and gritted his teeth.
"That girl is such a pain," he simply said and begun eating their meal once again.
After their dinner Kotaro sat on his bed and wondered why Hatoko had become a rebellious person. She had always been their parent's favorite, she was intelligent, talented, and quick-witted and given a great personality yet why had she become like that? It had started ever since Misaki became a champion, when Hatoko almost gave up the Layer just to support Misaki. When she rarely saw Misaki, that's when her strange habits began to kick in. She would glare at Misaki's suitors silently, she'd mumble Misaki's name in her sleep and then Kotaro realized something.
He sat up from his bed with his eyes wide with shock and surprised with the discovery he had suddenly realized.
"God… Hatoko is in love with Misaki!!!" he gasped.