Be my angel

 

         Sakurako, Hinako stared aimlessly at her ceiling. She usually didn't have trouble thinking of a name. When she was little she would go to sleep playing a story in her mind. She would have lots of friends there to play with her and she would slowly seep happily into her dreams. She would always try to have new names for each of her friends every so often. In a way it was her wish to have lots of friends.

 

         Swinging back forward, she rested her head on her desk. Hinako stared at the blinking star on the display screen. She wanted her to have a special name, one that would forever be in her mind. This would be her first angel, proof that she would fit in and lead her to a new beginning.

 

         Hinako moved to Tokyo 3 months ago to live with her grandfather and start middle school.  It was kind of sad, but her aunt and uncle were getting busier with their work, and she didn't have much outside life growing up anyway, always helping around where she could. She wanted to be outside to play with others, but there was always something more important to do.

 

         Now she was in Tokyo and she had much more free time, but still, it was the same.  She wanted to make friends, lot of friends, and have fun like she always wanted to, but she didn't know how. All she knew was helping around the house. She had nothing in common with everyone.

 

         But this is where she would change. On her desk stood her very first angel. She decided she would try what everyone else in the school liked.

                                    ANGELIC LAYER

 

         That was why she needed a special name for her first angel floating nearby on the desk. She was almost done now. She didn't know the first thing about fighting, so she was stumped on what would make a good fighter, but grandfather on the other hand, was an accomplished martial artist. There was even a dojo next to her house. Grandfather gave her many useful tips on how to build her own angel.

 

         "Each person fights their own way, with their own style and their own heart, Hinako. You can win with any attribute others give you, but only when mind, body, and soul become one, can you truly shine. Whatever you give her, be honest to yourself. You can't go wrong." Hinako repeated to herself in her best grandfathered mimicked voice.

 

         She still didn't have any idea of what was the best attribute to give her angel, but grandfather said she had to be true to herself so she gave it a lot of speed. She was small, so a big angel wasn't her style. She wasn't very athletic either and had long silky hair. Sometimes her uncle would call her his 'little princess', but she was determined and to try her very best, so her angel would be courageous and fight with fierily red hair in a pigtail. The color she had chosen to represent her determination.

 

         Now all she needed was a name to fit her.  *Ran* that felt like a courageous name. But it sounded so short. Sighing, Hinako gave up and decided maybe her grandfather wouldn't be so cryptic when she asked for more advice.

 

         Idlely she pressed the backspace key to delete her flawed entry. Unknowing she pressed the "ma" key. A little beeping sound drew Hinako's attention back to the screen. Her eyes grew wide as tiny electric sparks formed from where her finger sat. Only a few in sporadic intervals, but more came with a quicker build up.

 

         Fate seemed to smile as all the elements came into play. Hinako couldn't even scream when the whiteness of an explosion enveloped her.

 

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

         "Oi."

         "Wake up already."

         "Oi!"

 

         Hinako moaned, absently rubbing her still shut eyelids. The voice sounded so unfamiliar. Maybe she fell asleep in class. Lazily she forced her head up and opened her eyes and...

 

         "Yo, get up already sleepy head."

 

         Hinako swore her angel was there looking back at her. Rubbing her eyes, she looked again. She was still standing there with an annoyed look. Angels weren't suppose to move outside the layer. It said so in the instruction manual. In bold print even. And they surely couldn't talk. Or put on annoying faces, or even start poking her on the forehead. Pinching at her cheeks for good measure, to see if she was dreaming, she inhaled deeply...

 

         The scream was very satisfying in an odd sort of way to fate. It had to come, sooner or later, or things never got done.

 

         "Wow, that was pretty loud there. And pretty fast too. How did you get there so fast?" inquired the angel with a puzzled look.

 

         Hinako on the other side of the room was on her bed with a pillow over her head.

 

         It didn't take long before her door opened. In rushed in a frantic grandfather, screaming, "What happened?"

 

         "Hinako! What's going on!? Are you alright!?"

 

         Hinako pointed to her desk with a shaky finger without taking the pillow off her head. "T-t-the angel! she moved and she TALKED!"

 

         The grandfather gave a quizzical look at her granddaughter and looked back at this desk. Nothing was really out of ordinary there except maybe a blown out device, indicated by the slight stench.

 

         "There's nothing there, Hinako. See?"

 

         Slowly Hinako turned around and looked up from her pillow. It was normal again. Giving it a bit more time, she took the pillow off her head and gave a closer look.

 

         For added reference, grandfather picked up the angel and showed it to her. "See it's not moving or anything. There's nothing to be afraid of, it's just a doll."

 

         "Who are you calling a doll oyaji?" the doll suddenly spoke with an annoyed voice.

 

         Hinako backpedaled so fast her grandfather lost her for a moment.

 

         "S-see!? She talked!" screamed Hinako franticly pointing.

 

         The grandfather looked at it curiously. "It did? I didn't hear a thing. Are you sure it's from this doll?"

 

         "What  did I say about that doll thing, oyaji?" grumbled the doll.

 

         "She did it again! And she's waving her fist at you!"

 

         "Really? Like this?" For emphasis the grandfather lifted the doll's arm. And waved it at Hinako.

 

         "Watch where you're touching creep."

 

         Hinako didn't have an answer this time.

 

         "Is it still talking?" Grandfather asked. His granddaughter nodded her heard vigorously. Sighing he was starting to believe she was having problems with her loneliness. She was so hyped about the doll things and wanted to make friends. She was very lonely growing up and it must have been tough on her.

 

         Giving it some thought, he decided on another idea and tries a different approach. "Alright, there, there, Hinako. Come down. Maybe you should talk to her. She doesn't look very mean to me, ne Hinako?" Grandfather gave the doll a friendly look for emphasis.

 

         "How about asking her name? Maybe you could be friends with her?"

 

         Hinako still looked unsure, but didn't have a better option at hand, so she decided to listen to her grandfather.

 

"Umm...ah...hello there...a-angel san. M-my name is Hinako. What is yours?" Hinako had to steel herself to sound half way friendly.

         The angel gave a bemused look. "I'm Ranma, the greatest martial artist in the world." There was a great deal amount of confidence in Ranma's introduction.

 

         Hinako looked up at her grandfather. He seemed still expecting her to do something. "Sh-she said her name is Ranma, the greatest martial artist in the world."

 

         Grandfather gave a bright smile, "Is that so? Ranma is such a fitting name for the greatest martial artist in the world, don't you think Hinako? So what style does she use? I bet she must be really fast and strong too."

 

         "Umm angel Ranma san, what style do you use." Hinako felt a bit more relaxed now.

 

         "Gee, the old man must be near deaf isn't he? I am the heir to the Anything Goes Martial Art."

 

         "She saids Anything Goes Martial Arts, grandfather."

 

         The grandfather smiled again, "Sound like a fine style, she would make a good partner for you."

 

         "Partner? You got to be kidding. This wimp over here? I don't need a child behind me."

 

         Rage boiled up onto Hinako's face(in a cute sort of way), "I am not a child! You take that back."

 

         "Heh, make me. You would still be under your pillow right now if the old man didn't come." Ranma answered with a smirk.

 

         Hinako grabbed Ranma out from grandfather's hands and stared down angrily at her. "I would not, even if grandfather weren't here, I would still not be scare of you."

 

         "Oh is that so?" Ranma grinned "Maybe you do have some spunk to you."

 

         The grandfather looked down at his granddaughter. Looks like things might be better without him now. Now wasn't the time to be a third wheel in this imaginary conversation.  And he thought his granddaughter was a lot more stable now.

 

         "Well then, I will leave you and Ranma here to talk things over. You can't hate your partner you know. Make up and be friends okay? And no fighting either."

 

         It looked like Hinako wasn't really listening to him anymore, so he quietly left and closed the door behind him chuckling.

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

         "So what is this partner stuff the old man was talking about, twerp?" Ranma idlely asked. The argument got pointless after the first couple of playful insults. She couldn't really hate a girl with so much spunk.

 

         Hinako still pouted cutely, but was more come down now. "Well angels..." Seeing as Ranma wasn't really following, "like you, fight in arenas call a layer and we are Deus that umm..." she didn't quite know after that herself. "Well the manual wasn't that specific and you're my first angel."

 

         "Fighting, eh? Sounds interesting. Being that I am the best martial artist in the world, it should be a cinch for me. Hope they give me a challenge."

 

         With that Ranma started a few warm up punches and kicks for reference.

        

         "Umm... so where's my clothes?"

 

         Hinako blinked and blinked again, then she bashfully laughed, "Ahahaha...I haven't gotten that far yet..."

        

         And thus two brave challengers started towards a new beginning.