Angelic Layer Fan Fiction ❯ Kara Valentine's Day ni White Day ❯ The King of the Layer ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: (pulls on a black ski mask) It's not mine... yet!

 

AN: And this time, it's Gundam Wing's fault. Omae o korosu equals I will kill you. Nervous grin. Heero is so cute, ne? Incidentally, I think Kotaru-kun is loosing it... Also, it has come to my attention that I am very much under the influence of SandraE's writings at the moment. If you happen to like Inu-yasha, then by all means go read her stories, and bug her to update :) But read this first, wink.

 

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Chapter Two: The King of the Layer

 

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One week later...

 

Oujiro. Oujiro. Mihara Oujiro. Oji-sama no Layer. Omae o korosu, pretty-boy Mihara! Heh. Ha ha.

 

Perhaps his somewhat maniacal mental laughter was enough to stir him out of his trance, but for one reason or another, Kotaro abruptly realized just what he was doing, and paled.

 

This writing.... This was supposed to be his math notes. Unfortunately, what it really was, was Oujiro, Oujiro, Mihara Oujiro (and so on), taking up nearly the whole notebook page. He briefly considered suicide.

 

It didn't help when he looked up and saw that, two rows of desks ahead of him, Misaki was writing pretty much the same thing, except with less killing and more hearts...

 

Snap. Kotaro decided to start using pens.

 

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“O-O-Oujiro...kun?” Misaki stammered, automatically blushing. Kotaro did a fair amount of sputtering too, unnoticed.

 

The `Young Nobleman' flashed his copyright debonair smile. “Konnichiwa-minna. Misakichi, I was wondering...” And Kotaro realized that, suddenly, he was not smiling at the whole group, but just at her... Burn, pillage, kill... “...Would you like to come practice with me this afternoon? If you don't have other plans, that is... There is a tournament coming up next month...”

 

She nodded enthusiastically. “H-Hai!”

 

He nodded his gratitude and then, before Kotaro realized what was happening, Oujiro grabbed the other boy's arm and dragged him off to the side, holding up an apologetic index finger behind him in a gesture to the girls to wait a moment. “Also,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper, then hesitated, and Kotaro realized to his shock that the great Prince himself looked... awkward?

 

After a moment, though, he cleared his throat, and seemed to be better. “Ah, that is... Tomorrow afternoon, would you mind going White Day shopping with me?”

 

Kotaro choked violently.

 

Oujiro, for his part, grinned ruefully and patted the younger boy's back in an absent-minded kind of way. “It's got to be something special, after all. I've never really thought too hard about what to get for a girl,” he said, and had the decency to look embarrassed when he added, “...usually it works the other way around...”

 

Embarrassed or not, Kotaro still wanted to kill him.

 

“...so I thought it might help if we went together,” Oujiro finished, and gave another blinding smile.

 

“I-I,” he stammered, but didn't get any further than that before being caught in a relatively loose strangle-hold.

 

“Hey, stop being so secretive!” Tamayo insisted, then grinned slyly and glanced in Misaki's direction. “Anyway, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting...”

 

While Misaki was busy blushing once again, Oujiro nodded. “Of course not; gomen... So I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Kotaro-san? Good.”

 

As the other couple walked away, Kotaro tried to swear, but couldn't get enough oxygen.

 

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Right, left, right, turn around, dip, left, turn around...

 

From across the small practice layer, Oujiro smiled. “Very good! This is a hard song to keep up with.”

 

Misaki smiled back. “A-Arigato!”

 

The song ended, and both Angels gave a last, perfectly-executed flourish. Oujiro removed his head-piece with a small toss of his hair, and even that was enough to draw some color into Misaki's cheeks.

 

He's... got really pretty hair...

 

“It's getting late...” Seemingly oblivious to her discomfort, Oujiro reach into the layer and took Wizard out. “I'll walk you home.”

 

“Um... okay!”

 

As they walked silently through the streets next to each other, Misaki couldn't help but wonder... why sunsets were red, why he named his Angel Wizard, why butterflies were...

 

Ug! Why is this so awkward?

 

“Oujiro-kun?” she said, at the same time Oujiro said, “Misaki-chan.” They hesitated, and then Oujiro gave an uneasy laugh.

 

“You first.”

 

Misaki shook her head at a dizzying speed. “No, no - you first.”

 

He flinched, hesitated, hesitated a little more, and said in a rush: “Misaki, are you uncomfortable around me?”

 

A millisecond of startled hesitation, and then... “Of course not!” she lied with a sweet smile.

 

“Oh.” Just `oh'? For a moment she thought she'd heard something out of place in his tone. Like... regret? But then he smiled too. “I'm glad.” He gestured at the house next to them, which Misaki recognized with some surprise as her own. “What did you want to say?”

 

She shook her head again. “Nothing... um... forgot!” She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck.

 

Oujiro, are you... uncomfortable around me?

 

He smiled again. “Oh. Sorry. Well... I guess I'll see you later, then.”

 

She nodded at the pavement. “Yes.” And then out of the corner of her down-turned eyes, she saw his face, quite close all of a sudden, and-

 

He kissed her on the cheek.

 

And I lied to him!

 

Misaki looked up hastily, seeking eye contact, but he was staring at a place a few inches above her head. “...Goodnight,” he said, sounding deceptively composed, and walked away.

 

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One week and one day later...

 

Kotaro sulked on the edge of the throng of students, far away from Misaki and Tamayo, eyes searching for the one boy who was taller than the others...

 

Eventually he found him, side-stepping between junior-high-goers with such grace that he might've been dancing, and ignoring the occasional gawker with practiced ease. When they made eye contact, Oujiro smiled, and Kotaro found himself wishing that the guy wouldn't smile so much, because maybe then he would be able to tell what he was really thinking.

 

“Kotaro-san!” he said once he made it over, sounding pleased. “I'm surprised you waited.” And before Kotaro had time to really wonder about that, he added, “May I call you Kotaro-kun?”

 

Kotaro scowled. “I am older than you, after all,” Oujiro added, his smile looking especially innocent. That was the worst kind, Kotaro was just willing to bet.

 

“Fine,” he found himself grounding out. “Let's just go already.” Oujiro positively beamed.

 

And so they made their way to the shopping district, occasionally fleeing Oujiro fangirls as they went. “Piffle Princess?” Oujiro suggested. “They carry dresses and things as well, so you shouldn't have a problem finding something for Tamayo there.”

 

Kotaro muttered something like `go figure', so they went in.

 

As they walked down the aisles of Angelic Layer merchandise, Kotaro felt a peculiarly strong sense of... being out of place. There was something showing through the faces of the other shoppers - in Oujiro's face, even - that he couldn't quite fathom. It was a look he's seen many times before on Hatoko's face, and on Misaki's face too. He reached out to touch an Angel Egg, somewhat transfixed.

 

“I...”

 

Oujiro glanced curiously at him.

 

Let's go for a walk... More importantly, Misakichi, I was wondering... would you like to come practice with me this afternoon? These people... shared something...

 

“I want to make an Angel.”

 

Oujiro's face split into another damn grin, but there was something curiously genuine about this one. “What, really? What brought this on, hmm?”

 

He looked down. “I don't know,” he said casually, but he was thinking, Maybe then, Misaki would want to practice with me...

 

Oujiro shrugged. “Well, that's good, in any case. Would you like to help you find the things you'll need?”

 

Kotaro wrinkled his nose. No! Get away from me, you! “Don't I just need one of these?” he asked out loud, taking an Egg off the shelf.

 

Oujiro shook his head, suddenly enthusiastic. “Oh, no! You'll need one of these - and this - and this'd help - and - Hey, if you have the time to get it put together this week, would you like to come practice with me Saturday afternoon? You don't have any extra classes then, right? It'll take you a while to get a card of your own, so I can get you in on mine for now.”

 

Kotaro nearly gagged. “You - N-” But he paused for a moment. At first he'd been thinking that he'd like to practice with Misaki, but... Well, though he hated to even think it, what if he couldn't make the Angel move? Though his brain told him that he'd be more comfortable humiliating himself in front of someone that he liked than someone he... well, burn, pillage... Though his brain told him this, testosterone said that he shouldn't even consider doing something even potentially mildly embarrassing in front of her. He gritted his teeth. “...Fine.” Just for tomorrow, though!

 

“Great! Now, you'll also need one of these - and a couple of these couldn't hurt-”

 

It occurred to Kotaro that Oujiro was always, well, a lot quieter around Misaki. In fact, he was pretty much always a lot quieter than this. He had no idea what to make of it.

 

Additionally, it was hours later when he realized that they'd never bought a single White Day gift.

 

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Kotaro had decided that perversion must run in the Mihara family. Why else would someone design a toy that had to be opened in a bath?

 

Nevertheless, after some deliberation he finally went into the bathroom with it. He set the thing on the counter, turned on the water, and stared at it as he started to undress. Hmm... Kinda... creepy-lookin'...

 

Creepy-looking or not, though, he pulled the Egg after him into the warm water, opening it and following the instruction to clean the Angel inside. Then he held the doll at arm's length and looked it over for a long moment.

 

I think... that I'm doing this for the wrong reasons, aren't I...?

 

Out loud, though, he said: “I guess I should come up with a name, huh?” As was typical for most people in these circumstances, his mind automatically went blank; he made a face. “Geez... well...” It ought to be something with meaning I guess. The reason I'm doing this... Abruptly, he grinned. “Kokuo.”

 

King. The King of the Layer. Heh. Ha ha.

 

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A week and a half later...

 

For some reason, Kotaro felt compelled to arrive early. Somehow the idea of showing up second was unappealing. So he was even more frustrated to find Oujiro already leaning casually against a wall near the entrance of the training room. He smiled when he saw the younger boy, and Kotaro wondered if he would be able to not punch him if he did that one more time.

 

“Konnichiwa!” he said pleasantly, while Kotaro tried to ignore that fact that his fist itched. “May I take a look at your Angel?”

 

Kotaro handed the doll over wordlessly, and Oujiro held it up to eye level with the expression of a connoisseur. The Angel had chin-length silver hair, and it wore a gold circlet on its head and an outfit that was a sort of futuristic take on the Medieval European style. “So... it definitely focuses on power...” He looked up to meet Kotaro's eyes, and though he was already grinning knowingly, he just had to ask: “What's his name?”

 

“Kokuo.” Oujiro chuckled, and his eyes were so unusually sharp that Kotaro found himself looking down. He looked up again with a start, though, when Oujiro grabbed his hand.

 

“Well, there's a Layer open over there, so let's go...”

 

Eh! Touching. Too much touching. What was his problem? Argh...

 

Eventually, after Oujiro - radiating helpfulness - showed him where to plug the head-piece in, he took one deep breath in an attempt to get rid of the Revenge of the Funny Feeling in His Stomach, and tossed his Angel into the Layer. It faltered, wobbled a bit, fell on its face... and then, shakily and with agonizing sluggishness, picked itself back up again. Oujiro smiled, and Kotaro's fist clenched, even though he was secretly pleased as well.

 

After giving him a few minutes to get used to walking naturally and making other basic movements, Oujiro flicked on the radio on the table next to the layer. “Do you think you're ready to give dancing a try?”

 

...You would have to phrase it that way. Kotaro clenched his teeth and tried his darnedest, really he did, but it didn't quite work. He couldn't quite seem to keep up, even though it was an easy song.

 

Oujiro watched the angel fumble awkwardly for a moment or two, cast an intelligent eye over to Kotaro, and clicked his tongue in a gentle reprimand. “Concentrate,” he said placidly, laying his hands on Kotaro's shoulders and leaning down to speak next to his ear. “It's a beginner's mistake - don't move your own body. Relax, and just concentrate on your angel.”

 

Kotaro twitched. Total. Invasion. Of. Personal. Space. Must. Remain. Calm... What did he think he was doing, touching him all the time? His hands were heavy and - and warm. He was suddenly struck with surprising clarity by the fact that he could feel the warmth of Oujiro's delicate, long-fingered hands through his jacket. And this close, he could smell him too. He smelled clean and sharp - almost tangy - and strangely pleasant, and -

 

Kokuo crumpled into a little heap. Oujiro arched an eyebrow.

 

“Is something wrong? The strain-”

 

Kotaro shrugged his shoulders roughly, and the cursed hands were instantly removed. Lack of warmth. Bleh. “You were distracting me,” he grumbled, possibly more irritable because it was true, except not the way it should have been.

 

Strain - that was it. He was under a lot of emotion stress right now, and it was making him hallucinate, or... or... Wait, was there a word like hallucinate, except for smells? Argh!

 

His first instinct was to flee, but then he noticed that Oujiro was saying something. “...this, really?”

 

Something about the Prince's tone concerned him, so he said, “Huh?”

 

Oujiro leaned back against the table with the radio, and sighed. “Why are you doing this?” he asked patiently. “I was really happy that you were interested in Angelic Layer, but I don't think your interest is just for the sake of the game, is it?”

 

Kotaro grimaced, feeling suddenly and inexplicably panicked, and Kokuo missed a beat. “You know, yeah, I noticed that. Why were you so excited that I wanted to play, anyway?”

 

“I asked first,” Oujiro replied, in a cool way that made Kotaro want to punch him more than ever.

 

Kotaro dealt with the situation the best way he could think of, by not saying anything, and after a while Oujiro sighed again. “You like Misaki, right?”

 

This time, Kokuo fell backward. “Eh - B-”

 

Oujiro nodded. “And you're doing this to get her attention. Well, I guess love isn't such a bad reason to play.” Kotaro gaped like a fish, and Oujiro scoffed with unusual severity. “What? You didn't think it was obvious? Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think Misaki and I are... quite right together...”

 

Oujiro flashed one last self-confident smile, which seemed rather out of place just now. Kotaro couldn't seem to get Kokuo to get back up. In fact, it took a while to even get him to move at all, even after Oujiro had walked away.

 

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AN: Bleh. Awkward/angsty chapter. This was supposed to be 100 percent humor, gosh darn it! It didn't have enough of Tamayo hurting Kotaro, I guess. Well, at least it's longer than the first one. Give me your tired, your poor - or maybe just some reviews!