Chp 2: Xuan Wu vs Angel!
After having yet another victory as Angel Rebirth, Fuyuka slipped out of the Piffle Princess and was walking towards the park to change out of her disguise with her new Angel, Bunny, sitting on her shoulder.
"Bravo, dear Bunny, our training really did work out," said Angel (Fuyuka) proudly as she stroked Bunny's hair gently.
Angel smiled under her mask as she reached the entrance of the park and sat down on a park bench, slightly tired, taking Bunny into her hands. "You did well, my child..." she whispered when she heard a rustle in the tree shadowing her.
"HI! I'M ICCHAN-DESU!" cheered the ever eccentric creator of Angelic Layer as he appeared suddenly next to Angel, hanging upside-down and smiling cheerfully.
"Yo..." replied Angel not even flinching or being remotely surprised by the sudden appearance.
"No reaction again, huh?" sighed Icchan a little disappointingly as he folded his arms when he suddenly fell from the tree on his head hard. Again, no reaction from Angel.
"Daijobu?" replied Angel as she removed a doll's brush from her bag and used it to brush Bunny's hair.
"I am OK!" replied Icchan cheerfully jabbing a thumbs up in the air before slowly getting up and sitting next to Angel, albeit a little painfully.
Angel glanced at the man for a while before reaching into her bag and pulling out a water bottle full of ice cold water. "Here," was all she said handing it to Icchan.
"It's ok, I'm not thirsty!" exclaimed Icchan smiling.
Angel shook her head and pointed to the large bump protruding from the top of Icchan's head. Taking the bottle from his hands, Angel climbed on the bench and gently placed the bottle on the bump. Icchan flinched a little in pain but then sighed in relief as the bump slowly sank down into his head.
"Aah~ Angel-chan really is an Angel~!" exclaimed a happy Icchan dramatically as he held the bottle in place while the short girl jumped down and took her stuff.
Angel shook her head once. "Silly..." was all she said as she turned and walked away with Bunny in her arms.
Icchan smiled after the girl, making no attempt to go after her. "She really is a kind person..." he said smiling to himself.
A fast forward timeskip to the next day...
It was Sunday morning and Fuyuka had made her way back to the Piffle Princess as Angel Rebirth once again. The girl entered as soon as the place opened, as a result, she was one of the first few there. As Angel made her way up the stairs, a head popped out from behind a pillar, staring at the girl.
Xuan Wu narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Angel Rebirth...she has appeared-aru..."
"As usual..." added a new voice making Xuan Wu shiver in fright as she quickly punched the stranger out of reflex.
"ACK!" grunted the man who fell over back wards.
"I-Icchan-aru!" gasped the girl as she helped the man up. "Don't ever sneak up on me from behind!"
Icchan groaned a little in pain as he rubbed his cheek where Xuan Wu had punched him. "Hai..."
Xuan Wu, turned her head towards where she last saw Angel, only to find that the girl had disappeared.
"Gāisǐ!" swore Xuan Wu, having lost the girl.
She quickly ran up the stairs and searched about the layers, scanning each an everyone until it occurred to her to check to the Layer where she first met Angel. She was right, Xuan could spot the back of Angel's head along with sounds of blows being exchanged.
'Angel must be sparring with someone...' thought Xuan as she walked closer to look at the two Angels on the Layer.
One of them she recognized as Bunny while the other was a female Angel given the appearance of a cat girl with long pink hair and white ears and tail. Her outfit was a full body black cat suit with pink markings. Angel was sitting in her chair with the headset on, staring intently at the two Angels without moving a single muscle.
Bunny and the cat girl were exchanging blows in perfect synchronization. The cat girl will punch, Bunny will evade and strike back with a roundhouse kick , only to be blocked and pushed back.
"Wow, I wonder whose her opponent-aru?" thought Xuan Wu as she glanced over to the opponents chair only to be shocked at finding it empty. Xuan Wu gasped in shock and whipped her head back to Angel who had made no indication of noticing the other girl.
"Impressive, isn't she?" piped Icchan who appeared next to her.
"Icchan, is she...?"
"Hai! Yes, she is!" answered the man immediately.
"But how-?"
"Look closely at her eyes," suggested Icchan pointing to Angel.
Curiously, Xuan Wu bent sightly to look and gasped once more. Through Angel's visor, she could see the girl's eyes darting back and forth between the Angels in sync with their movements.
"Angel-chan here happens to be exceptionally gifted at concentration and multi-tasking," explained Icchan gesturing to the girl. "Not even the Angelic Layer Champions could do this. This girl has developed a technique that allows her to control two Angels simultaneously on the Layer."
"Sugoi-aru!" gasped Xuan Wu in awe.
Finally, the two Angels on the Layer stopped and bowed to each other in respect before they looked up at their Deus and bowed as well.
Angel applauded the two. "Good Job," she said before taking the two out of the layer and placing them on her lap.
Even though half her face was covered by a mask, Xuan Wu could tell from Angel's eyes that she was smiling lovingly at her Angels. Suddenly, Angel paused and slowly looked up at Icchan and Xuan Wu and deadpanned.
"Domo! I'm Icchan-desu!~" greeted Icchan holding his head and hand high in salute.
"Domo! I'm Xuan-Wu aru!~" greeted the girl in a similar fashion.
"So tell us how are you?~" they both cheered as they spun once and flourished their hands to Angel dramatically with big smiles on their faces.
"Ecstatic..." answered Angel in a blunt sarcastic tone.
Icchan and Xuan Wu flinched a little at the bluntness.
"No good, huh-aru?" whispered Xuan Wu with a faltered expression.
"Looks like it..." replied Icchan a little depressed.
Angel shook her head as she made to get up and leave when Xuan Wu placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.
"Wait just a moment-aru!" announced the Chinese girl seriously.
Angel turned to look at Xuan Wu. "Yes?" asked Angel.
Xuan Wu grinned as she held up her own Angel in her hand. "You seem like a pretty strong opponent, Angel-san! Hows about an Angel Battle, right here, right now-aru?"
Angel looked at Xuan Wu before glancing over to the Angel in her hands, assessing it with her eyes. It was made in the form of a tall young man, dressed in a simple black hanfu with leg slits revealing white pants bound at the ankles with black tape.
It's hair was long and black with a white bun tied at the top of the head while the rest of the hair's length was pleated into an extremely long braid that draped around the Angel's body like a snake. The Angel also wore a shield on it's back painted like a turtle shell. Judging from size and stature, Angel guessed it was a heavy weight.
"Alright then," said Angel as she sat back down in the chair and placed on her headset. "Icchan."
Icchan saluted to the girl as he ran to side of the Layer. Xuan Wu sat down and got her headset on as well. At the same time, both girls activated the devices as the Layer buzzed to life.
"Well, ladies, what battlefield would you like to spar on?" asked Icchan looking between the two.
Xuan Wu smiled as she activated her headset. "Do you mind if I choose, Angel-san?"
Angel's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do zou," she replied. (A/N: Go ahead)
Xuan Wu nodded and turned to Icchan. "Grassy Field please-aru!"
"Hai!" replied Icchan as the holographic scene appeared on the field Layer.
Looking between the two Angels in her lap, Bunny and the cat Angel, Fuyuka decided to use the cat Angel for this fight. Her personal favorite, Nekoko, a speed type Angel.
"Ready, ladies?" asked Icchan as both girls nodded in response. "Ok, Angels Fall IN!"
Xuan Wu smiled as she lifted her Angel.
"Qiángdà hé jiāngù rúshān, wò zhù nǐ dì dìmiàn!!" cried out the girl in Chinese as she tossed her Angel on to the Layer. The Angel came to life the moment it entered the Layer and flipped once in the air before landing in a crouched position. Slowly it stood up and shifted into a Hung Gar stance. "BEI FANG!"
Translation: Strong and Sturdy like a mountain, hold your ground!
Angel held her Angel before her. "It's time to play my sweet kitten..." she began to say as she threw her Angel towards the Layer.
Like the Angel before her, the cat girl sprang to life on the Layer as she twisted her body and landed on all fours before popping before standing up and flicking her hair casting a sly smile to her opponent. "Nekoko!"
Icchan raised his hand and brought it down quickly. "Angel Start!"
Angel made the first move by having Nekoko make a frontal dash towards Bei Fang. With a spectacular leap into the air, Nekoko flipped forward and proceeded to execute a drop kick on Bei Fang who swiftly turned around so that the shield on his back faced Nekoko.
With a loud clang, Nekoko's foot connected with the shield, making the cat girl almost ricochet of it. Nekoko was fortunately able to recover as she twisted her body and landed safely some distance away from Bei Fang.
Not faltering, Nekoko rushed forward and delivered a fury of kicks at Bei Fang who at the last moment removed his shield and held it before him blocking Nekoko's every move. Nekoko found herself getting rebounded by the forceof her own kick as she backflipped a few times to stop herself from falling out of the ring.
Xuan Wu smirked at Angel whose eyes stared back at her with no emotion reflected in them.
"When it comes to defense, Bei Fang is the best Angel there is-aru!" exclaimed Xuan Wu proudly. "What are you gonna do now, Angel-chan?"
Angel narrowed her eyes. "Fight," she responded simply as Nekoko took her fighting stance and beckoned to Bei Fang.
Bei Fang smirked as he tossed his shield aside and took on a heavy martial arts stance. Nekoko's lips curled into a snarl as she made a dash forward for the third time.
With one arm, Bei Fang blocked a low kick from the cat girl before immediately blocking a reverse heel drop with his other.
Bei Fang immediately retaliated by grabbing Nekoko's foot before slamming his fist into her back, sending Nekoko spiraling and skidding on the floor, just inches from the edge of the layer. Angel looked carefully at Nekoko's stats projected on her visor. That punch was powerful, already shaving off 1/4 of Nekoko's points with a single hit.
Angel had to be careful. If there was one thing she hated most, it was losing.
Xuan Wu grinned. "Go for it-aru!" she cheered as Bei Fang advanced and began his attack, delivering heavy and powerful blows towards Nekoko who was dodging the best she could. Nekoko quickly leaped high into the air when suddenly, Bei Fang grabbed his ridiculously long braid and whipped it towards the catgirl, entwining it around her leg. With a sharp pull, Nekoko was dragged back down to the ground to an awaiting Bei Fang who landed a direct hit with a straight punch to the gut.
Angel narrowed her eyes as Nekoko's points got lowered drastically. Two more hits and it will be over for her. The whole time while the two Angels were fighting, Angel was watching Bei Fang's moves intently. Being a heavy weight, his speed was definitely not a strong point, but strength was another story. Nekoko on the other hand relied on her speed more than strength, which was basically a big weakness in this match, considering Bei Fang's defense.
Nekoko kept jumping all over the Layer avoiding Bei Fang's whip like hair that struck with snake-like precision. There was hardly a way for Nekoko to get an a hit on him. Angel clicked her tongue in annoyance. There was the issue of that annoying braid she had to keep track of too. If only there was a way to use that strength against him...
Just then, an idea struck Angel as she began forming a new strategy in her head."Go, Nekoko..."
Icchan who was watching the whole battle glanced over to Angel. 'An excellent balance of offense and defence, this Xuan Wu. How are you going to counter Angel?'
Nekoko glanced at her Deus and smiled as she ran forward towards Bei Fang once more.
"It's useless-aru!" exclaimed Xuan Wu as controlled Bei Fang to whip his hair forward.
The braid spiraled around towards Nekoko who leaped forward through the spiral towards Bei Fang who was unable to defend himself in time. Bei Fang braced himself for impact, only to have Nekoko sail over him. Nekoko twisted her body and came charging at Bei Fang from behind, delivering a multitude of kicks to his back, accompanied by the drumming of her feet against his shield. Xuan Wu smirked in Angel's direction.
"I told you didn't I-aru? You can't hurt Bei Fang!"
"Nekoko!" called Angel sharply. Nekoko nodded as she suddenly flipped in front of Bei Fang and wiggled her hips and tail at him while casting Xuan Wu a cheeky grin as she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her eyes in mocking.
Xuan Wu and Bei Fang both began to look irked in reaction to Nekoko's teasing. "Cheeky little- Get her-aru!"
On command, Bei Fang whipped his braid towards Nekoko who quickly jumped out of the way with the braid following her. Each time, the braid would miss the Angel, Nekoko would tease Bei Fang or send mocking faces to Xuan Wu. With each mockery, Xuan Wu got more and more riled up as she angrily made Bei Fang strike out more.
Looking between the two girls and the battle, Icchan smiled inwardly as he began to see what Angel was up too. 'Hoho...clever girl, Angel-chan~'
"GAISI! How long are you gonna keep running-aru? HURRY UP AND FIGHT!" growled Xuan Wu in anger at Angel who looked up at her. It was then Xuan Wu noticed Angel's eyes were smiling at her victoriously. At that moment, Nekoko slid to a stop and beckoned towards Bei Fang.
Bei Fang appeared to growl in annoyance as he tried to make his way towards Nekoko only to fall flat on his face.
"HAI YA, BEI FANG!" cried Xuan Wu in shock when she realized what Angel had meant to do the whole time.
Icchan chuckled in amusement as he folded his arms. "You were so busy getting worked and chasing after Nekoko, you didn't notice the braid was trapping Bei Fang! Shi, shi, shi!" snickered the man.
Sure enough, Bei Fang was writhing on the ground all tied up in his own braid. With the shield on his back, Bei Fang's movements are further restricted. Nekoko grinned as she walked forward and grabbed the end of Bei Fang's brave.
"Do it," commanded Angel. With a sharp tug, Nekoko pulled at the braid, causing Bei Fang to go spinning out of control in the air as the cat girl delivered a hard roundhouse kick, sending Bei Fang to go rocketing out of the Layer into Xuan Wu's arms.
"And with that, I say, Winner: Angel Rebirth!" announced Icchan applauding.
"Arigato..." said Angel as she removed her head gear and picked up Nekoko before making her leave.
Xuan Wu quickly did the same as she jogged after Angel. "Ne! Ne! Wait up-aru! What's your name? AH! YOUR REAL ONE THAT IS-ARU!"
"A secret," responded Angel bluntly as she walked down the stairs.
"Ok, Where do you live-aru?" tried Xuan Wu again.
"A secret," came the response.
"Um...How old are you?" asked Xuan Wu faltering a little.
"A secret..."
"Do you...really have an army of Angels?..."
At that moment, the two had reached the ground floor with Angel glancing at Xuan Wu. "Maybe..." was all the girl said as she walked off ahead leaving Xuan Wu behind.
"Hey..." Xuan Wu was about to call out when placed an arm in front of her. The girl looked up to see Icchan smiling and shaking his head.
"Leave her be...don't be mistaken, Angel isn't a mean person, she just has some social problems that's all..." explained Icchan reassuringly making Xuan Wu watch the girl exiting the Piffle Princess with a slight frown.
At that moment, Xuan Wu felt a buzz in her pocket from her vibrating phone. Quickly she took out her cell phone and answered it. "Nihao?"
"AIYA! WU-JOUSAMA! WHY DID YOU SNEAK OUT OF THE HOUSE? YOUR PARENTS ARE THROWING A FIT RIGHT NOW-ARU!" yelled a loud, panicking voice on the other end making Xuan Wu hold the phone some distance away from her ear.
"Calm down, Baishe! I'm just having a little fun-aru!" said Xuan Wu cheerfully when she suddenly heard a crash on the phone.
"Please Wu-jousama! Have pity on me a little! Your Baba has just taken out melon hammers! He's starting to- GAH! SIR! PLEASE CALM DOWN!"screamed Baishe on the other, followed by more crashing and screaming.
"Hai...hai...I'll be right home soon..." sighed Xuan Wu in defeat as she hung up. "Gomene, Icchan! My Baba is throwing another tantrum again-aru..." she explained but when Xuan Wu looked up, Icchan wasn't there anymore, making the girl look about in confusion before shrugging and walking off putting Bei Fang and her phone into her pouch and pocket respectively.
"Ah well...I have to prepare myself anyway-aru...I'm starting my first day at high school tomorrow~!" she grinned to herself as she skipped out the Piffle Princess humming merrily.
R.F.: ^ AND THUS ANOTHER CHAPTER ENDS!
Xuan Wu: TUNE IN NEXT TIME-ARU~! X]
R.F. and Xuan Wu: AND WITH THAT WE SAY, BYE-BEE ARUNYA~! X3