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Monday, July 17 7:00 am

"Totchi? What is all this food for?" Kaoru called out as he sat down to breakfast.

"Shinya said that angels eat a lot so I had to prepare for this. Manami said that they don't eat a lot...just small amounts at various intervals but I trusted Shinya on this one. Don't tell Manami, ne? I don't think she'd like it if she heard I trusted Shinya and not my guardian angel."

"Is Manami coming over?" Kaoru asked, biting into an egg.

"No, Kaoru." Toshiya began but was interrupted when the doorbell rang.

He answered it and bowed as hide stepped in, playing with a white envelop in his hands. "Ohayo gozaimasu, hide-sama."

hide looked faintly embarassed by the attention. "Ohayo, Toshiya-kun."

Kaoru almost dropped his chopsticks but managed not to and continued to eat normally. He remembered what Manami said to him about hide:

"Now, Kaoru, I know you respect him and all but you still have to remember he is human."

"Nani?"

"He's human. He has faults like everybody else. He whines a lot when he's tired. He's a terrible flirt. He's human, Kaoru. Remember that."

"I thought he was an angel..." Kaoru said.

"Well, yeah--he's a newly declared wingless and he's got bad habits. I had the same problem, too. Just remember he's not a saint. Take it easy."

"I will," Kaoru had said.

"I will," Kaoru said out loud.

"You will what?" hide asked as he sat across from Kaoru at the table.
"Nan demo arimasen." Kaoru replied with a smile.

hide smiled back, a little nervously. If it was hard for Kaoru to accept hide as a guardian angel, it was harder for hide to be one. He wanted to be a good angel--no, a great angel--for Kaoru. He didn't want to shake Kaoru's faith in him. "Here," he said, giving the envelope to Kaoru. "It's your first task."

Kaoru opened it and read, "'Kaoru must forgive and learn to work with an enemy or he will die on July 21 at 5:00 pm." He moaned, "Demo...I don't want to..."

hide looked up, a little worried, "But you have to."

"I know. I remember what happened to Shinya." Kaoru said as he slowly put the envelope down. "Ano...I don't have an enemy."

"Hounto? Are you sure?" hide asked.

"Hai. I don't have an enemy."

"C'mon--there must've been someone you pissed off!"

"Well, if there was, I don't remember--"

"Kamijo," Toshiya said, quietly as he ate breakfast.

"Nani?" hide and Kaoru asked simultaneously.

"Kamijo. You two don't like each other."

"Yeah, but we don't hate each other that much to be called enemies." Kaoru replied.

Toshiya stared at him and raised his eyebrow, with the look that said, "Stop lying" and at the same time said, "Don't cross me." Kaoru blushed and gave a nervous smile. He hated when Toshiya did that. Not only did it make him feel embarassed that he did whatever he did, it also made him feel like Toshiya was undressing him with his eyes. Not like Toshiya hadn't seen every centimeter of his body but still--it made him feel vulnerable and he didn't quite like that.

Toshiya spoke again, "If you two are such friends than why did you react so violently when Kamijo started flirting with me even though you probably knew he wasn't serious? Why did you lose your temper during the kendo match with him? Why have you stolen two of his precious hats? My Kaoru," he told hide as Kaoru placed his head down on the table with embarassment, "Is very good at controlling himself. But something inside of him snaps when it comes to Kamijo."

Kaoru raised his head, "It does not. He's just irritating. And, in any case, I look better in those hats than he does. And it was just sitting there, I thought he didn't want it anymore."

"Than why don't you wear them more often?"

"Because you don't like them."

"That should say something, shouldn't it?"

Kaoru fumed, "I do, too, look better in those hats."

hide interrupted, "Don't get too attached to those hats. I think you may have to return them to him in order to work with him. And you'll have to forgive him."

Kaoru squirmed, "Demo.."

"Now, I know how Die felt," Toshiya remarked and leaned forward, "If you don't do this task and you end up getting killed, I will kick your ass."

"But isn't that a little ironic--" Kaoru began but was silenced by Toshiya's stare, "Alright, alright! Gomen! I'll go talk to him and forgive him and whatever. But I'm not going to like it."

"No one's asking you to like it," hide and Toshiya solemnly replied, "We're demanding you to do it."

Kaoru looked at hide's serious face and then at Toshiya's. "Ne, Totchi, you're serious about being an angel, aren't you?"

Toshiya smiled, mischievously, and crossed his legs. "Oh, that depends entirely on you, Kaoru."

"We're not talking about old hats anymore, are we?" hide asked, smirking.

Kaoru shook his head in response and replied, after taking a sip of water, "How would the angel in you react if you said it's too early in the morning and I'm still eating breakfast?"

hide motioned Toshiya over and whispered something his ear. Toshiya laughed, turned back to Kaoru and said, "It's never too early in the morning and you could be having something better for breakfast."

Kaoru choked on a piece of food and coughed a couple of times as Toshiya and hide laughed. "Arigato," hide said, suddenly.

"Nani?" Toshiya asked, confused.

"hide-sama?"

"I was afraid that you'd be uncomfortable having me around and that you'd try to act differently than you do but I wanted to thank you for not doing that and making me feel comfortable--and I'm probably not making sense..." hide said in a rush.

"Iie, hide-sama," Toshiya told him, "You're Kaoru's new guardian angel...if you're not comfortable than you might not want to take care of him anymore, would you?"

hide's eyes widened, "I'd never do that! I have my bad sides, but I would never do that. Besides, Kaoru looks up to me. I want to do my best for him."

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here," Kaoru said after finishing his breakfast and then noticed that all the food that Toshiya had cooked was missing. "Where'd it go?"

"Were you going to eat all that?" hide asked, nervously.

"Huh? Iie, hide-sama! I just thought that Shinya was exaggerating about the food thing--"

hide shook his head, "No. I can't help it. Manami said it was normal to eat a lot or sleep a lot. She said something like--like it helps me gain enough energy to support my meager powers."

"What are those powers?" Kaoru asked interested.

"Telepathy, telekinesis-moving stuff around without really touching them--teleportation. That's about it."

Kaoru nodded and then stood, "I'm ready but there's just one thing we have to take care of."

"Nani?" hide and Toshiya asked.

"Your appearance," Kaoru said.

********

10:00 am

"No--no, good." Kaoru observed as hide stepped out of the bathroom again. This time he wore one of Toshiya's outfits. "You still look like hide."

"I should hope so. He is hide after all," Toshiya said.

"I know that but--" Kaoru closed his eyes against a threatening headache, "He can't follow me everywhere looking like--like himself! That's just asking for trouble."

hide sat on Toshiya and Kaoru's bed. He sighed, "Can't I just say I'm a cosplayer? It'd be much easier and it wouldn't feel as if I were stealing someone's clothes."

Kaoru and Toshiya crossed their arms and surveyed him with worried expressions, "Maybe...but you still look so much like yourself that...that people might...scream and run after you and stuff..." Kaoru trailed off.

"Oh, you mean the usual reaction?" hide asked with a grin.

"There has to be another way," Kaoru said, sitting next to the angel with a hand to his forehead.

He stared at hide, who simply fell back onto the bed with the remark of, "I'm not dyeing my hair a different color. It's staying pink."

Toshiya sat on the other side of hide, "He's right, you know," he said to Kaoru. "We've been through all of our clothes and put them on him like he was an overgrown doll and he still looks like himself. We tried messing with his makeup but he still looks like himself. We could call the others but I don't think it would work."

"For one thing, I don't think Kyo's clothes would fit," Kaoru began and could almost hear his lead singer yelling at him for that comment, "And I think Shinya may be a little too skinny."

"Cosplayer it is!" hide declared.

"Yoshiki'd have a heart attack." Kaoru said, absently.

hide sat up, "Yoshiki? Oh, no, you're right...Yoshiki'd have a heart attack. I'd have to stay out of his way, then! It's against the rules if he saw me."

"Rules?"

"Manami said that it was against the rules for a newly declared wingless to meet up with the people they knew personally before they died. It'd cause all kinds of trouble..."

"Yeah, you're supposed to be--not here," Toshiya said, trying to find a polite word for deceased and failing. hide ignored this, stood and walked to the dresser. He took one of Kamijo's hats and placed it on his bright pink hair. "Oh, no. You are not going to wear that thing," Toshiya said, the dread evident in his voice.

hide turned and looked in the mirror and smiled. "Why not? I think I look good in it."

Toshiya looked up at the ceiling, "Why is that everyone who tries on Kamijo's hat thinks they look so good in it? Is there a spell on his hats that mess up the mind? The only person who looks good in those hats would be Kami--"

"He does not! I look better in those hats then he does," Kaoru replied.

hide tossed the hat to Kaoru, "Even if you do, we have to return them. Do you know where this Kamijo is?"

Kaoru squirmed with discomfort as Toshiya replied, "No but I'm sure we can figure it out. We could call Shinya--maybe he'd know."

"Why would he know?" Kaoru asked.

"He saved Emiru, remember? They're friends, now and Shinya should have his phone number." Toshiya grabbed the phone and handed it to Kaoru, "Here you go."

Kaoru took the phone hesitantly and began to dial Shinya's number. The phone rang and was immediately answered, "Moshi moshi?"

"Die?"

"Hai?"

"Can I speak to Shinya?"

"Hai. Shinya--it's Kaoru."

Shinya replaced Die on the phone, "Hai?"

"Shinya, you know Emiru's phone number, right?"

"Mm. Dooshite? Do you need to speak to him?"

Kaoru took a deep breath, "Not really..I don't need to speak to him...I need to speak to Kamijo."

Shinya coughed on the other side of the line and then began laughing, "And what has Kamijo done now that makes you want to speak to him?" He emphasized the word speak to mean something potentially dangerous. "Has he worn a new hat that you want and think you look better in? Or has he just smiled at you?"

"Why are you laughing?" Kaoru demanded, "This is serious."

Shinya continued laughing and when he noticed that Kaoru wasn't saying anything, he stopped. "Oh...You really are serious. Is this part of your task?"

"Hai."

"Oh...do you want Emiru's number to call him?"

"Ano..can you call him?"

"Okay...however you want to do this..Die, can you grab my mobile phone and call Emiru?"

(From the background)"What's the number?"

"Just press the button that has the picture that looks like a book..."

"'kay..."

"And look for Emiru's name."

"'kay."

"Now, press it."

"What do you want me to tell him?" Die asked and Shinya repeated the question to Kaoru.

"Can you ask him for Kamijo's phone number?"

(From the background)"Emiru-san, this is Die. Yeah, hi, I'm fine. How are you? No, he's good. Ano--can you do Kaoru a favor? He wants to know Kamijo's phone number." There was laughter, "Shinya, Emiru's laughing. He wants to know what Kamijo has supposedly done to make Kaoru mad enough to want his phone number."

Shinya and Die began laughing. Kaoru rolled his eyes. "What's wrong?" Toshiya asked.

"They're laughing at me. All of them. Including Emiru."

"We're not laughing at you. We're laughing at the situation," Die said, replacing Shinya on the phone. "Shinya's getting the phone number--so--uh--here's his home number. And--" there was a pause and another laugh, "Emiru says not to be too disappointed if Kamijo doesn't return your phone call if he's not home. He remembers how many hats you've taken from him. Here's his home number--" Kaoru motioned to Toshiya to bring him a paper and pen. As soon as he got them he scribbled down the number furiously. "And this is his mobile number--" Die told him the number and Kaoru wrote that down as well.

"Arigato, Die. Tell Emiru and Shinya that, too."

"Dooitashimashite. Oh, and Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"Please get rid of those hats, okay?" "But those hats are--" Kaoru stopped when he noticed that Die had hung up on him.

*******

Wednesday, July 19 9:00 am

What am I doing here? Kaoru asked himself, staring at the studio where Lareine was in, Why did I let myself get talked into this? I never should've gotten involved in this angel thing to begin with. I should've just kept my curiosity to myself about Shinya's cousin. But no...

"You don't want me as your angel?" hide demanded.

"I didn't say that!"

"You were about to think it!"

"Stop poking around in my head!"

"Can I help it that you think so loud I can't drown you out?" hide asked then stared at the studio with Kaoru. "So, we gonna do this or not?"

Kaoru sighed and nodded.

"Do you have all of his hats?" hide asked.

"Hai."

"Then let's go."

Kaoru and hide walked up the studio's main entrance and slipped in. The members of Lareine were laughing and having a conversation and the only one who noticed Kaoru was Emiru, who smiled and winked at him. Kaoru smiled back, unsurely, and waited until the noise died down. Kamijo turned around and smiled Kaoru. "Bonjour, honey! I trust you have my hats?"

Kaoru bowed back, "Ohayou Gozaimasu, Kamijo-kun. Yes, I do." And with a wry smile from hide, Kaoru handed them over and was about to walk back out the door until Kamijo stopped him.

"Kaoru-kun?"

"Hai?"

Kamijo walked around him so that he was blocking the door. "Arigato. Demo--I think that you owe me an apology?"

Kaoru felt his face flush, "Nani? Owe you an apology? For what?!"

"Taking my hats, calling me names when I walk down the street, almost killing me at the kendo match--" Kamijo began to list things down innocently as hide looked at his human, his smile increasing.

"I don't owe you an apology! YOU owe ME an apology!"

"Nani? For what?!" Kamijo demanded, starting to sound like Kaoru.

"For flirting with Toshiya, beating up Shinya, leaving your hat behind so that I'd steal them, calling me names--"

"I don't force you to steal my hats!! And I only call you names because you started calling me names first!! I have a right to defend myself!!"

"By attacking me?!"

"And I didn't beat up Shinya!! That was Sebastian's idea!!" Kamijo snapped and both of them fell silent to glare daggers (and arrows and bullets and missiles and all sorts of hurtful projectiles) at each other.

Emiru squeezed way in between the two of them and pushed them away from each other. "Alright, boys!! Enough!! Why don't you both apologize to each other and get over it?!!"

Kaoru and Kamijo opened their mouths at the same time to say something but hide clapped a hand over his mouth as Emiru did the same to Kamijo.

"Unless you have something nice to say--" Emiru began.

"Don't say it at all!" hide finished with the same smile. Kamijo nodded at Emiru, who slowly removed his hand from his mouth. hide did the same without bothering to wait for Kaoru's signal.

"It's true, though. I didn't hurt Shinya. I wouldn't. Emiru likes him--I knew that. And even though we were competing against you, I would never physically hurt you or any of your bandmates." Kamijo said, looking away. Kaoru practically heard the unsaid words of the last sentence: "Even if I really wanted to."

Kaoru said nothing.

Kamimo went on, "So, why are you here? You would never have returned my hats willingly. And even on the phone you wouldn't say." He finally looked at hide, "And why--does this person look a lot like..."

"He's/I'm a cosplayer," Kaoru and hide said at the same time. Kamijo took a look at hide and shrugged but went on.

"So--why are you here?"

"Ano..." Kaoru said, dumbly, staring down. He didn't know what to say. If his goal was to forgive Kamijo and work with him, why wasn't Kamijo apologizing? And why was he here? "Ara?" Kamijo ducked his head to try and capture Kaoru's eyes. "What was that? Maybe you have a crush on me?" He teased. Kaoru jerked his up quickly and Kamijo began to laugh. "Oh, am I right?"

"I-iie!! Not at all! I'm still with Toshiya!!" Kaoru blurted out.

"So! You do swing that way!" Kamijo said and Kaoru felt like kicking himself. Ah, great, he thought, another thing for Kamijo to use against me. Kamijo patted Kaoru on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper in Kaoru's ear. "Ne..don't look so worried. I won't tell. However...you must do one thing if you don't want to keep it that way."

"Na-nani?" Kaoru took a step back.

Kamijo smiled--a different smile, "Tonight's my birthday party. Mayu, Emiru and Machi here have been planning it for weeks and by the way they were talking about it--it sounds like it's going to be big. They've dropped some hints about it and I still don't know much about it. Looks like there's going to be some sort of surprise for me!"

"What are you getting at?" Kaoru asked suspiciously.

Kamijo looked at him innocently with that same smile and Kaoru took another step back and bumped into Mayu who held him there. He didn't smile at Kaoru. "Would you like to share that surprise with me?"

"Nani?"

"Be my escort to my birthday party." Kamijo said, simply and leaned against the door.

"Why me?"

"Because you're pretty and I'm jealous. I like to see you angry and I'd like to see you by my side." Kamijo said bluntly.

hide looked at Kaoru to remind him about his mission. Kaoru sighed and resigned himself to his fate. "Okay. What time does it start?"

"Seven pm. Sharp. The limo will pick you up at 6:30."

Kamijo stepped aside from the door and as Kaoru opened it, Mayu said, "Oh--and Kaoru-kun?"

"Hai?"

"Wear something nice. I won't have you ruining Kamijo's birthday."

Kaoru stared at the Mayu, stunned. Kamijo stepped over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Mayu shook it off, angrily and walked away as Emiru shook his head and gave a reassuring smile to Kaoru.

hide patted Kaoru on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Kaoru...it'll all find its way in time.."

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