I apologize for the long wait, but there were many things that had to have been done before now. First, I have made the mistake of calling Hatoko-chan the wrong name in many parts of all my stories. I will be correcting this throughout everything shortly. Secondly, in order to familiarize myself with some of the characters, I had to rewatch the series, which took me a few days. And last, I had to find time to write this chapter. But it is done now for you to enjoy. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Misaki Walks "More then one option will always exist, you merely must seek them out with your heart." unknown source .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. "I understand," Icchan replied, talking with Shuuko on the phone. "But, how did this happen?" "Something beyond our comprehension, Icchan. Something so far out of our control, and so distant from what the world has ever seen... Icchan, Hatoko-chan was sleeping underwater. I saw it with my own eyes." Shuuko answered softly, closing her eyes in the dim light. "You also mentioned, these recent storms... Hatoko-chan, right?" "Yes." Silence pervaded the conversation. "I do not want to lose Misaki-chan," Icchan replied sincerely. "I will do my best." "I am glad. Misaki is my world." .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Hatoko stared at her school grounds as she walked by them. Shuuko had organized for her to be on vacation for the next two weeks. Kotarou looked down at her. He was still unaware Misaki had been killed, still unaware that Hatoko had created the devastating storm not long ago. However, he did know that Misaki was missing. "Why are we going to the arena?" Kotarou asked. "Shuuko-san asked me to meet with Icchan-san. She says that he will help us." Hatoko replied blankly. By 'us' she did not mean herself and Kotarou, and she planned to have Kotarou wait outside of the room. Shuuko would be there as well. It wasn't much longer until they reached the massive stadium, and Hatoko opened the door, immediately heading towards the elevator to the employee level. She knew the building well now, being privileged to see the inner workings with Misaki and her mother on a regular basis. Kotarou followed Hatoko, knowing significantly less then she. His free time had been increasingly spent with Tamayo. Hatoko soon spotted Icchan. "Hatoko-chan, I have just heard the news... It is troubling, to say the least. Ah, Kotarou-kun, please make yourself at home in the employee break room, a couple doors down. Hatoko-chan, follow me. Or perhaps I should be calling you Hatoko-sama?" Icchan laughed at his own little joke. "My power is dangerous, Icchan-san." Hatoko replied, closing the door behind her. They were in the main testing room for the prototype angels. "I was lucky, it could have killed many people, but it did not. Only the foul teacher died, and that was Misaki's doing, however, I say that with pride." "You have grown wiser Hatoko-chan, and your dedication to Misaki-chan is beyond my imagination." Icchan replied, straight faced now. Shuuko entered through a door on the opposite side of the room. "Right on time, Shuuko," Icchan said, and he turned his eyes back to Hatoko. Hatoko lifted the pulsing blue-white vial, withdrawing it from underneath her clothes. Icchan's breath caught in his throat, and Shuuko's eyes stared at it. "Misaki's soul is bound into these waters. Her soul naturally binds to seawater." Hatoko explained, and Icchan nodded slowly, dumbfounded. "She can influence the weather when it involves storm clouds, she can influence the tide and wave patterns, she can create water out of thin air, and she can speak to us by concentrating on her feelings." "Icchan... Hold... Hand... Palm Up..." Misaki asked in a distant voice, and Icchan, after coming to his senses, held his hand up, with his palm facing the ceiling. Water formed in it. "So, it is true..." Icchan started. "I am a scientist, and this defies the laws of nature. It is proof that both of you are above nature. But, this brings to mind another law, however it is a law of the universe that says everything is in balance. For every positive thing, there is a negative." "It had come to our attention that there is one thing that can kill us, and that is loneliness. We have already begun to feel its effects." Hatoko continued, in a hushed tone. Half of her was longing for Misaki at that moment. "Are you saying, you must be in contact with each other?" Shuuko asked. "We must be at each other's sides, and when we are in contact, it must share the emotion of love. Our strength comes from each other." Icchan looked away from Hatoko, staring at the lone angel upon the layer used for testing purposes. "I have a feeling that Angelic Layer was only a small factor in your friendship with each other, Hatoko-chan. While it goes against everything I have learned from college, there seems to be some old magic at work here. Love itself is a form of magic, I believe, but what you have is much stronger. Something very unique, and powerful." "Regardless, I must be selfish right now, Icchan-san, I will have Misaki back. At any cost." Hatoko replied. "It is your right, Hatoko-chan," Shuuko added. "Misaki knew something would happen to her, and I knew something would happen to her," Hatoko continued, "However, we said little about it to each other, we knew it was fate, we knew it would happen. We promised each other that, regardless of the obstacles, we would be together once more. The dream is our destiny now, and we are prepared to do anything to achieve it. We are the world to each other, in our hearts, and in our souls." Someone could be heard crying around the corner, and Icchan stood up. "Oogata..." Icchan said sternly. "Hmm?" Oogata replied, looking innocent as tears escaped his eyes. "Go to the library and retrieve all the books they have on Gibraltar. You have twenty-five minutes." Icchan ordered sternly. "And if you fail... Misaki-chan gets to fill your bladder with water until you faint." Oogata disappeared, and Icchan turned his attention back to Hatoko. "And the murderer is still on the lose?" Icchan asked darkly. "Yes." Hatoko replied, only to turn suddenly at a sound coming from the angelic layer next to them. The angel had fallen over as if it had been beaten in a match. "What? Who's toying with the angel? Oogata!" Icchan yelled, only to remember that he had just sent Oogata out. Shuuko shrugged as Icchan look at her, hoping for an answer, only to find none. Hatoko stared at the layer as Icchan moved to right the doll. "Icchan-san! No!" Hatoko cried suddenly, tears forming in her soft, but brilliant eyes. "That... That is how Misaki looked as she lay on the ground... after... it... it happ..." Hatoko's knees gave, and she found herself falling onto the floor, sitting between her legs. "That was how it was..." "Are you sure?" Icchan asked, now interested. "Yes. Very sure..." Hatoko replied, wiping her eyes. "Icchan, how did the angel receive the commands to do that?" Shuuko asked, and Icchan turned his eyes towards the vial. "I have a feeling Misaki-chan visualized herself after she was ... Anyways... Her spirit, is it sending out the proper waves to control an angel? They must also be strong too, the headset for controlling the angel is ten meters away." "Hatoko... Place... Me... Headset..." Misaki instructed. Hatoko walked over to where the headset rested on a chair, and she lifted it up, holding the vial inside. Icchan gazed at the layer, but the doll did not move. "Hmm..." Icchan mumbled, scratching his head. "Hatoko... On Layer..." Misaki whispered, and Hatoko replaced the headset on the chair. She turned around, and placed Misaki on the glowing layer itself. The lights in the room instantly flickered off, and the layer went dark. The emergency lights came on, and cast a dim red glow on the room. Everything was silent, and all eyes were on the layer. A pulsing light began to emanate from the top. The layer itself was glowing now, and upon it stood the angel. "Misaki?" Hatoko asked softly, bending closer, over the layer itself. "Hatoko-chan! Don't lean over the layer like that! It's still active!" "I am alright, Icchan-san. It will not hurt me... Misaki's energy is powering it now." Hatoko replied, her eyes on the angel. It was the first angel ever made, Shuuko's prototype that could barely move under the guidance of anyone, save for Shuuko herself. And it began to walk. Not just anywhere, but sepcifically towards Hatoko's face. "Misaki..." Hatoko whispered so quietly Shuuko barely heard the name, and Icchan heard nothing. "Hatoko... Hatoko-chan..." Misaki replied, the words floating gently over the air. The angel reached Hatoko, raising its arm, and placing it upon Hatoko's forehead. "There you are... Hatoko..." The doll traced a miniature finger down to Hatoko's nose. "There you are..." A tear escaped the doll's eye. "How... How is this possible?" Icchan could be heard muttering as he watched the tear fall upon the layer. "It is Misaki's tear, not the doll's." Shuuko replied, gazing with rapt attention at the display of affection in front of her. The doll nodded. "The doll... It is not receiving any power from the layer... How?" Icchan asked again. "Misaki..." Hatoko replied, her eyes fixed upon the angel. "Her soul is very strong, even though she doesn't know it." The doll wiped away a tear from Hatoko's face. "The layer merely concentrates the energy by resonation." Shuuko added, and Icchan nodded. "Instead of letting it go down, the layer forces the energy up, and it is feed on by the angel." "With a few modifications, we could construct an angel that can be solely powered by and controlled by Misaki-chan. The newest model already might be good enough. I'll be right back." Icchan left the room, returning shortly later with brand new angel that had just been removed from its packaging. However, its exterior appearance was unusual. It was a prototype angel, manufactured by hand in the company labs. "Hatoko-chan... May I see the vial?" Icchan asked. Hatoko looked at the angel on the layer, which nodded at her. Hatoko picked up the glowing vial, and the lights flickered back to normal. She handed the precious object to Icchan. "Thank you... Now, this vial doesn't concentrate the energy that is released. However, it is possible to concentrate it to a point where Hatoko-chan only needs to wear it like she already does, and the angel will be able to receive power and instructions... When the angel has been created, with attributes and a name and such, it will have an antenna as most angels normally do. I will measure the frequency of this antenna and create a new vial that will concentrate the energies into that same frequency. Having researched similar waves, it shouldn't be a problem..." Hatoko looked blankly at Icchan. "Umm... Does that mean Misaki will be able to move a special angel?" Hatoko began. "Yes, she will. And from what I hear, it will give her a much-needed way to interact with the world. It will allow her to write messages, nod or shake her head, etcetera." Icchan replied, the grin from a good idea spreading across his face. "Hatoko-chan, see that computer over there? There is an angel configuration console connected to it. Why don't you create angel Misaki-chan as you see fit." Hatoko's eyes lit up at the thought of making a Misaki doll, and she practically bounced to the computer. Icchan and Shuuko followed her over, and Icchan set the prototype angel on the setup layer, switching it on. The screen came to life, and Hatoko instantly recognized the software as the angel configuration software. She began to set the options to be most like Misaki and Hikaru. Small and fast. Hatoko could envision no other way. She pressed the enter button, and the miniature layer came to life as it created the angel. "These settings look similar to Athena," Shuuko commented. Hatoko nodded. "I set them very close to Hikaru's configuration, however I boosted the speed and agility and decreased the defense and attack to a level much lower then Athena's. This angel won't be fighting, as far as I can tell, so I see no reason for the attributes." Hatoko explained, and the watchers nodded. "Good idea, although I still think this angel could win against most other angels. The speed you gave it is nearly 150% greater then Hikaru," Icchan added. "At that speed, and with such agility, this angel can reach max speed in a split second, and be across the layer in similar amounts of time. Not to mention... It's compatible with a certain special ability..." "Wings?" Shuuko interrupted. "Yes, wings. Speed angels are equipped with wings, however the Deus must know how to unlock them. It boils down to their determination and will to fly. Since most people don't realize that speed types have the innate ability, and since most don't have the determination to reach Nationals, most people never see them. They are very difficult to obtain. Of course, this doll will have them easily. It is Misaki-chan controlling it, one of two goddesses of the layer." Shuuko blushed slightly at this. The configuration finished, and Hatoko clicked to the select name screen. She entered 'Misaki-chan' and clicked the enter button. The light surrounding the doll faded, and Hatoko removed the doll from the layer. "I suppose its time for me to create the new pendant, which shouldn't be a problem. But first, I need to know what antenna Miskai-chan is going to wear." Icchan started. He dug through the cabinets the computer rested on, and brought out a box of clothing material for angels. Hatoko looked through it "I am thinking I want Misaki-chan to have a double antenna, blue... like... this one!" Hatoko turned to the doll, only to remember they had forgotten to attach hair to it. "Icchan-san, we forgot the hair!" "It's alright, the hair can be attached later. You just put the doll back on the configuration layer with the hair in place and switch it on. The hair will bind in a few minutes." Icchan turned to Hatoko, who handed him the antenna she wanted to use. "Alright, I'll be back in twenty minutes." Icchan left the room. "Hatoko-chan..." Shuuko started quietly. "It's so wonderful that Misaki has you, isn't it?" Hatoko blushed. "I never want to leave her... I can't even imagine it. She means so much to me." Hatoko held up a wig. "How's this color?" It was a deep blue color. The color of the sea. "It's a lovely color, Hatoko-chan. But isn't Misaki's a bit browner?" "Both of us feel very close to the sea..." Hatoko explained as she set the wig on the angel. She put the angel on the little layer and turned it on. "For some reason, at least. I have a feeling we have some intimate connection with it." "I agree, Hatoko-chan..." Shuuko replied, gazing at the doll. "It seems you know more about her now then I do." Hatoko didn't know how to respond to this, and turned to look at Shuuko, who suddenly found her statement an impossible one for Hatoko to answer to. "I'm sorry, don't say anything. You don't need to. I'm glad you have become so close to her. I'm glad you were close to her when she first came to Tokyo." "I'm glad I was there too..." Hatoko replied, remembering the days long ago. She fished a pair of scissors out of the desk and began to clip the hair on the doll. She kept it somewhat long however, the length reminding her of the flowing water in the sea. Setting down the scissors, she looked through the hair selection box, digging out a small curling iron, and curled the bangs, which she had let fall behind the ears. She curled the last few centimeters of hair on the back as well. Shuuko watched. "You are very skilled at making dolls, Hatoko-chan." Shuuko commented. Hatoko smiled cutely. "I want this one to be perfect, for Misaki-chan." Hatoko replied. "Now, for a costume... Maybe... a flowing blue cape and... Hmm..." "Something easy to move in underneath? Perhaps? It is a speed angel. Also, remember to leave a place for the wings to have room to poke through in the cape." Shuuko suggested. Hatoko nodded. "Maybe something skin tight, like Hikaru's outfit, but instead of the gold buttons... I want there to be shells, and I want the red to be blue instead, and the white... It needs to look like the white peaks of the crashing waves." "I'm glad you know what you want Hatoko-chan. I would be trying to make a decision for weeks." Hatoko smiled once more, and she set to work on the costume. Icchan popped back in, Oogata trailing him with several books. "Start reading, Oogata." Icchan instructed, forcing the helpless Oogata into an office chair. He made his way up to Shuuko and Hatoko, holding up a metal pendant with a very small shining orb suspended in the middle by a small bracket. "I have condensed the spirit further, by around three times. It will help to amplify the soul's power. Additionally, I have talked to one of my programmers, and he said it would be possible to program a return signal that would send light back to Misaki-chan. More specifically, the light received by the angel's eyes. Misaki will need to learn how to process it, but it shouldn't be to hard. The metal around the orb has been tuned to the frequency required by the angel," something tugged at Icchan's pants, "Let me finish!" Icchan turned to see the Misaki-chan angel staring back up at him. "Where's her clothes?" "Icchan!" Misaki could be heard over the air. After recovering from Misaki's startling voice, Icchan bent down to the ground, setting the antennas in there rightful place on the angel. "I didn't mean it that way! ... Hatoko is making them! See!" Icchan pointed. The angel turned to look at Hatoko, who was threading a needle. "Misaki-chan... Can you see things already?" The doll shook its head. "Seeing... Through... Orb..." Misaki replied. "Oh, right... Here, let me load in the software for the angel." Icchan picked up Misaki-chan and set her back on the little layer. "Hmm... My programmer has already finished the code. All he had to change was a few things that put the signal from the pendant in complete control." Icchan typed away at the keyboard as he loaded in the new software, excited about what was happening. They were doing something no one else in the world had ever done. They were connecting a spirit with a machine. Icchan purred. "So... beautiful... Program... so beautiful..." The computer beeped and Icchan removed the angel from the miniature layer. The angel began to squirm in his grasp. "Alright, okay... I set you down now before you bite me." Icchan said, placing the angel on the ground. It snatched the pendant from Icchan. "Thief! Misaki-chan! Thief!" Misaki-chan raced towards Hatoko and handed her the pendant, which she promptly slipped around her neck. "Can you see me through the angel's eyes? Misaki-chan?" Hatoko asked. Misaki-chan nodded. "Easy..." Misaki replied. "Like... Backwards... Deus..." "So you imagine you are seeing through the eye's of the angel, and you see?" Shuuko asked, interested. Misaki-chan nodded. "Ears... Too..." Misaki added. "Wonderful, Misaki-chan," Shuuko replied. It was strange to be conversing with her dead child, but she was confident that things would be right soon enough. Misaki-chan climbed up Hatoko's back and sat on her shoulder. Hatoko had just finished the cape, and motioned for Misaki to move down onto her lap. The angel jumped down. "Here we go, some clothes while I finish the other pieces." Hatoko fastened the cape around Misaki-chan's shoulders, and the angel twirled around with a smile. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. More time passed, and the day was drawing to a close. Hatoko held up the finished outfit for the angel, and she helped Misaki-chan into it. "It truly is a wonderful angel for Misaki, thank you Hatoko-chan." Shuuko said, standing up to give Hatoko a warm hug. "I know you always give Misaki your best." "Thank you, Shuuko-san." Hatoko replied, only to be interrupted by Oogata. "Ah ha!" Oogata exclaimed. "I have found something quite interesting. Based on legend, there were once many islands around the land of Gibraltar. Nearly twelve thousand years ago, they disappeared into the sea. Since there is a strong connection between the sea and the girls... This must be it..." Oogata looked back to the book. "Sounds plausible," Icchan replied. "Keep reading, we're going to head home. It's getting late." "What?" Oogata asked desperately. "You heard me. Eavesdropping will always be punished." "Noo! Chief! Noo! Please?" Oogata whimpered. Icchan turned to stare at him. "You stay. Goodnight. If I find you gone in the morning, well..." Icchan threatened. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. "I thought you said a little bit, and I've been locked in that staff room all day." Kotarou complained. Unfortunately, Hatoko found no sympathy for him. "Misaki is more important then you at the moment." Hatoko replied. "Maybe if you would tell me what's going on, I could help or something..." Kotarou started, but Hatoko interrupted him. "You don't want to know." Hatoko warned. "And I am not allowed to tell you, unless I hear otherwise from her." "Who?" Kotarou asked. "Goodnight, Kotarou." Hatoko replied as she pushed her brother out of Shuuko's car. "I might tell you in the morning, but not now." The door to the car closed, and Shuuko drove off as Kotarou stood dumbfounded in front of his family's dojo. "It is not time to share the secret, I suppose." Shuuko commented. "No... It is not time... The fewer people that know about it, the better. For Misaki's sake." Hatoko explained, and Shuuko nodded. It was true. Kotarou had little to add to the solution, there was no point in telling him that Misaki had been murdered. She didn't like being mean to her brother like this, without telling him anything, but she knew it would probably be best to keep him in the dark for a week or so more, just so they could concentrate on Misaki. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Author's Notes: Such a long chapter... Anyways, it be done now. I do hope you enjoy it. Revised August 4th, 2004. .o. Munkii
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