From: coram@ed.ecn.purdue.edu (Chaosmage)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Angels in Paradise Chapter Seven
Date: 29 Sep 92 19:29:28 GMT
Organization: Shadow Walker's Annonymous


                           Angels in Paradise
             Chapter Seven: Yuri's past comes a haunting . . . 

     God save me from my friends; I can protect myself from my
     enemies.
          -- Marshal De Villars

=================================================================
     Yuri awoke much refreshed.  A good night's sleep, on top of
the moderate success the Angels had had yesterday in the capture of
some of the terrorists, went a long way toward letting her forget
the bus disaster.  Kei was already up, and half-dressed for
breakfast.  A few minutes later, Yuri was ready and the two left
their room for their pool-side breakfast.
     After looking over the menu, Yuri decided to have a light
breakfast of eggs and toast.  She couldn't resist ordering the hot
chocolate, for which Kei teased her.  Kei ordered a heartier
breakfast, but stayed with tea to drink.  "Fewer calories," she
smirked.
     The beverages arrived almost immediately.  To the Angels'
surprise, they were not brought by the young lady who had taken the
order, but by the young man who had directed them after Randy the
night before.
     "Long time, no see," he smiled.  "Unless you count last night. 
Here, I brought your favorite breakfast drinks."
     "Chaos!  It *was* you," Yuri exclaimed.  Her mind drifted back
to when she had first met this young man.

                        *        *        *

     Yuri was ready for her last year at the university of Mezuiru. 
She had registered, and now there was nothing to do but wait for
classes to begin, and try to find a little excitement.  It would be
more fun if Kei, her roommate and best friend, were around, but Kei
had been snagged by relatives and wouldn't be back for a couple
more days.  Yuri was cutting across campus, heading back to her
dorm, when a freshman, carrying an armload of *books* of all things,
missed a step on the stone stairs in front of the science building
and tumbled down them.  Ordinarily, Yuri would have thought it
funny, except he managed to crash into *her*, knocking her down as
well.
     Yuri, slightly dazed from hitting her head, debated getting
up, getting mad, or just lying there until the ground stopped
wobbling.  She heard a frightened gasp, and cracked an eye open.
     "Oh god!  I've killed a senior," the freshman wailed. 
Noticing Yuri opening her eyes, he looked relieved.  "Are you all
right?  I'm terribly sorry.  No, don't move.  You've got a nasty
bump on your head there."  After a full minute of his fretting and
apologizing, Yuri started to giggle.  His concern was funny, and
kind of cute.  Unfortunately, laughing made her head *hurt*.
     The next thing Yuri realized, the young student was *carrying*
her to the university hospital.  She protested weakly, but he
ignored her.  He even waited for her examination to finish, and
insisted on walking her back to her dorm.  When they reached it, he
suddenly remembered the books still scattered all over, and ran
off.  Yuri hadn't even gotten his name.
     Somehow, over the next few months, they became friends.  He
was so lost and hopeless on the big campus that Yuri felt sorry for
him and appointed herself his big sister.  Even though he was cute,
Yuri never thought about going out with him; he *was* a freshman
after all.  That turned out to be fine with him; in his words:
"beautiful women intimidate me."  Even Kei softened on him,
especially after he let them crash in his room (after a party at
which both girls had had much too much to drink to make it home
safely) without making any moves on them.

                        *        *        *

     "You big clutz.  What are you doing on Xanadu?" Kei was
asking.
     "Well, as you probably guessed, I stayed in school," Chaos
began.
     "You were always a study-maniac," Yuri teased.
     "Still am," Chaos blushed.  "I spent a semester at Erakau and
was on my way back to Earth, where I transferred after graduating
from Mezuiru.  My flight had a layover here in the Qalihn system. 
Wouldn't you know it!  My cab broke down and I missed my
connection.  I'm stuck here for another week, until the next flight
to Earth leaves."
     "Stuck?  Most people would kill for a chance to spend a week
here!" Kei chuckled.
     "Maybe so, but it costs a fortune just to eat!  You know I
never have any money."  Chaos looked pitiful, causing both Kei and
Yuri to laugh.  They knew his fake sad looks too well.
     "Well, besides the fact that I enjoy your company, I did have
another reason for looking you ladies up," Chaos said, brightening.
     "Here it comes, Yuri.  After avoiding us for years, he wants
to talk business," Kei said, sotto voice.
     "Who's been avoiding who?" he asked.  "You two are the ones
who keep moving around!  I never thought you'd get so famous." 
Chaos shrugged.  "Anyway, did you nab that big guy who flattened
me?"
     "No," Yuri pouted.  "A bunch of his gorilla friends jumped us
and he ran off."
     "Well then, this should come in real handy."  Chaos placed a
wallet on the table.  "His wallet jumped out of his pocket into my
hand."
     "You picked his pocket," Kei stated flatly.
     Chaos looked hurt.  "Of course not.  That would be illegal." 
A conspiratorial gleam entered his eyes.  "Besides, he owed me for
using me like a tackling dummy."
     "Pft.  You didn't get out of his way," Yuri snickered.
     "It could only happen to me," Chaos complained.  "I'm always
in the wrong place at the right time."  He shook his head.  "Of all
the streets to be on, I *would* be walking past where you two were
staging an arrest."
     "You do seem to make a habit of crashing into people," Yuri
teased.
     "It's not my fault.  Things like that seem to happen to me,"
he replied.  "Well, you have company coming."  Yuri turned to see
Chuck making his way toward them.  Chaos continued, "You two are
working.  I'll take off.  If you wrap things up in the next couple
of days, look me up.  I'm staying at the Ramada."  Chaos took
Yuri's hand and kissed it.  "See you later, sis."  He turned and
ruffled Kei's hair; he was one of the few who could get away with
that.  "Take care of her, red.  Yourself too."  With a final wink,
he turned and strolled off.


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| Kevin C. Coram | INTERNET: coram@ecn.purdue.edu | CompuServe: 72567,2201 |
| "Don't tell me I'm nuts.  I know.  It keeps me sane."                    |
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