A/N: I know I shouldn't be juggling another WIP, but I needed this to exist. At least as a fic between hiatuses. Sticks pretty close to the movie though I do make it my own. Had to get a little creative with the casting too (Marguerite was a tough choice!) and pairings. I'll make it work, trust me. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Angel Beats characters belong to Jun Maeda. Plot is from Ever After (1998).

[Chapter 1]: Papa's Final Journey

"Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who loved her father very much."

Eight-year-old Yuri Nakamura wriggled with a joyful energy that her brand new dress could barely contain, for today was a day unlike any other. Today, her father was returning from another one of his business trips. Every time he had to go away for so long, he made sure to make up for his absence with treasures especially for her. Books, hair bows, candies and toys… She was his best girl, he told her, so he couldn't help but spoil her when he missed her so much.

But going by the letter he'd written her, this time he had really outdone himself.

"Oh, Masami, it feels just like Christmas," Yuri gushed as her maidservant did her best to adjust her dress sleeves. "I get a mother and sisters all in one day!"

"Yeah, it's going to be very exciting around here," the older girl admitted, fingers now working the dress strings nimbly into a knot. With Yuri this wound up, she knew she was working against time. "What with a baroness and all—hey, hold still!"

It was too late; as soon as she'd felt the strands tug tight, Yuri made a mad dash for the mirror and was already smoothing out the front of her gown. Masami huffed the bangs out of her eyes and scampered after her to tighten the strings. Shiina Iwasawa, Yuri's other servant as well as Masami's mother, kept a calm eye on them while she entered the bedroom with two armfuls of linens.

"Nakamura-san deserves happiness after all this time, bringing up the child on his own," she said matter-of-factly, shutting one armful in the wardrobe before heading to the bed to fold the rest. A rare soft thoughtfulness took over her normally stern-looking features. "She must be lovely."

"I hope she likes me," Yuri said, playing restlessly with a long lock of hair.

Shiina joined her at the mirror, an astonished certainty in her sharp red eyes as she touched Yuri's shoulder.

"She will love you," the woman said firmly, and with the other hand she gave Yuri's cheek a quick pat. "Just be the little angel I know is in there somewhere."

Masami gave a musical giggle as she re-tied her dress. "And don't go chewing on the bones at dinner, you'll give yourself away!"

Yuri's pout of feigned offense turned into conceding cackles, but Shiina gave Masami one of her infamous scolding looks that cut the young teenager's laughter short. But as the Iwasawas' attention was elsewhere, the sound of a rock smacking against brick launched Yuri out of their clutches once more.

"Yuri, your father arrives any moment!" Shiina gasped after her.

Ignoring their protests, she tumbled across the bed and scrambled to the window just as another rock hit the siding. The orange-haired culprit stood out in the grass below, squinting up at her expectantly as he readied a third pebble between his fingers.

"Otonashi, I told you – not today!" Yuri hollered down at him.

He blinked dumbly for a second, then turned his dropped jaw into a big obnoxious grin. "You look like a girl!"

"That's what I am, moron!"

"Yeah, but today you look it!" Otonashi jeered.

Yuri clutched the window sill threateningly. "Boy or girl, I can still whip you!"

"Hah!"

They both made a run for it, Yuri almost knocking Masami over on the stairs and making Shiina's head spin as she darted for the front door. She heard Shiina reprimanding her and Masami claiming she could see the carriages in the distance, but she never minded it. Yuzuru Otonashi was her best friend but he had a smart mouth, and there was always enough time to make him eat his words!

Conceding defeat, Shiina and Masami took a few more minutes to ready the house and then joined the other servants out front just as the cavalcade came riding in. Matsushita the Fifth, as jolly as he was strong, was the first to greet the Nakamura patriarch with a hearty handshake.

"Welcome home, Nakamura-san," Matsushita said warmly, while his good-humored old friend was still laughingly reeling from his strength. "I see you have brought us a baroness."

"I have brought you an entire household, Matsushita," Kaishou replied, somehow wrapping an arm around his shoulder as they strolled toward one particular carriage. Then, after studying each face he'd missed so much, he scanned the line in slight confusion. "But I seem to be missing a daughter."

The two men exchanged a hopeless knowing wince of a smile, and turned back just in time to see the carriage door open. Out stepped a girl of about ten years of age, golden brown hair veiling a pair of skeptical silver eyes. She picked up the skirts of her periwinkle dress and hopped easily onto the dirt. Behind her, a younger sister poked her head out, revealing a cherubic face with long pink tresses, matching eyes, and a pearl pink gown. She squinted curiously at the manor before shyly falling into step behind the first.

Shiina and Masami held their breath in anticipation. Two precious girls such as these… then who was the mother that had raised them?

And so she emerged, first a dainty hand from behind the curtains, and then a tall and striking beauty dressed in silver that descended from the carriage with utmost nobility. Eyes pink like her younger daughter's but cool and sleek like the elder's, with chestnut brown curls framing an elegantly angled face.

"Oh, Kaishou," she cooed, raising a gloved hand to her lips as she studied the manor. "It's absolutely charming, really."

Shiina and Masami stared at the woman in admiration. No beauty in the world could match that of their beloved lady and mistress, but there was no denying that Kaishou had chosen an exquisite wife. This woman would surely raise Yuri in fairness and grace.

From the glowing look in Kaishou's eyes, he was thinking the same thing... and then a piercing shriek cut through the air and sullied the moment in a blur of mud and grass.

"Papa!" Yuri yelled gleefully, leaping into the strong arms that had opened wide for her. Kaishou hollered with just as much joy and laughter and picked her up to plant a sloppy kiss on her unsoiled cheek.

"Look at you! Just as I left!" he proclaimed, spinning her around as he surveyed the mess. "I'd bet anything your friend Otonashi is around here somewhere."

"Take a look!" Yuri nodded over his shoulder with an earsplitting grin. "I slaughtered him."

Kaishou obediently turned, still hugging his daughter close. Her victim trudged shamefully into view, his entire being absolutely caked in mud. He hardly would have guessed the boy was Otonashi – even his signature orange hair had become swampy clumps of brown.

Unable to help himself, Kaishou let out a hoot of laughter at his daughter's antics.

"Well, so you did!" he said, setting her back down. He looked her over, tsking at the filth that covered her perfectly good dress. "I'd hoped to present a little lady… but I guess you'll have to do." Taking her by her shoulders, he turned his mud-splattered progeny to face their new family. "Yuri, allow me to introduce the Baroness Hinami Fukuda and her daughters Hisako and Yui."

Hinami, who had been taking all of this in with a raised brow, curved her thin lips into a smile.

"Hello, Yuri. At last we meet. Your father speaks of nothing else," she said. Yuri matched her smile and rocked shyly in Kaishou's arms. "Ladies, say hello to your new stepsister."

The girls curtsied in perfect unison. "Very nice to meet you!"

Yuri could not stop smiling as she offered her best curtsy in return. Her father was back, she had a mother again, and finally she was a sister too.

She was certain in this moment, life would never be the same.

At night, as Kaishou was putting his daughter to bed in front of a crackling fire, he finally procured for her an extra gift from his travels. Yuri reached into the small burlap sack and held a book up to the light.

"Utopia," she read aloud, and looked questioningly at her father.

"It means 'paradise,'" said Kaishou. Sitting down at the edge of her bed, he took the book and flipped through the pages. "It might be a bit thick for an eight-year-old, but I thought it would make a good addition to our library."

Yuri retrieved her gift and ran her fingers along the smooth paper covering. Bringing back at least one book from his travels was one of his many traditions. Among the earliest of her memories was the beginning of nightly bedtime stories. Her mother used to sing, but he never could (or so he joked regularly), so it was books that they turned to after her mother died. Sometimes, if she read from their growing library without him, it was partly so she could hear his voice in her head while he was gone. In time, she'd learned to love books just as much as he did.

"Will you read some?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully. It was tradition after all, but…

"It's been a very long day," Kaishou reminded her.

Although she was disappointed, Yuri brightened at the memories of today. "And you are a husband now."

Kaishou chuckled. "Yeah, a husband. But a father first and forever." He reached over and lovingly mussed her purple bangs, then looked her in the eyes. "We've been two peas in a pod for a long time, you and I… I'm sure it'll take some getting used to."

He gestured with a snap for her to crawl into bed, then tucked her in when she obeyed. But her eyes were glowing with too much happy energy for sleep.

"Did you see the way they ate their supper?" Yuri asked in complete reverence, hugging Utopia to her chest. "It was perfect. Like a dance!"

"Do you like them?"

"Very much."

"That's good," Kaishou said with a nod, though his pleased grin turned apologetic. "Because I have to go to Osaka in a couple of weeks."

Yuri sat up in bed, looking extremely cross with him. "But you just got back!"

"I know, I know…" the man said sheepishly.

"For how long?"

Kaishou did his best to cover up a wince. "Only… three weeks."

"One!" Yuri countered.

"Two."

"One!"

Although he was worse at disguising laughter, he managed to meet her eyes and say sternly, "Two."

But his daughter was just as stubborn as both her parents, and she stared defiantly at him for a few seconds before he thought of a good deal-breaker and held out his fist. Unwavering, she accepted his challenge and they broke into a good clean game of rock-paper-scissors.

Of course Yuri was the champion. What was it, did he keep subconsciously choosing paper? Maybe it was just that his little girl was getting too clever for him.

"Alright, one," Kaishou conceded. He could never say no to his favorite girls, no matter the cost. But he snatched up the book as he left her with a kiss on the cheek, lest she stay up all night reading (he could never put it past her). "Sleep tight."

Even seven days was too long away from his Yuri. But now she had a mother and sisters he could trust to look after her.

Still, in the meantime, tomorrow they would have to catch up on their reading.

The fortnight passed far more quickly than anyone at Nakamura Manor would have liked.

Come rooster's crow, Yuri had lined up outside with everyone else to bid her father farewell. She moped near Shiina and Masami, frowning petulantly at the ground while her father snapped his riding gloves on and laughed the morning off like it was nothing.

Maybe it was nothing to him. It wasn't his first business trip and it definitely wouldn't be the last. But for Yuri, the goodbyes never got any easier.

"I've never seen so many gloomy faces," he said exuberantly, taking the baroness in his arms. "I promise, I'll be back in a week."

"Then go," Hinami mourned. "The sooner you leave, the sooner we can celebrate your return."

He kissed her goodbye, then turned to their three girls and knelt in a small acknowledging bow in front of them. "Maybe by then, you three will have gotten to know each other better. Yeah?"

He stopped at Yuri and gave her chin a gentle squeeze. Getting on his knees, he met her eyes with a cheery grin. "Yuri, I'm counting on you to teach them the ropes around here. Your stepmother isn't used to getting her hands dirty."

Sure enough, Hinami huffed slightly and looked away, rubbing the pristine skin of her immaculate hands. Yuri had barely glanced at the dirt in her own nails before her father launched a noisy farewell kiss to her cheek and strode over to mount his horse. His left arm appeared to be cramping, so Matsushita the Fifth helpfully handed him the other rein.

"Thank you, Matsushita."

"Safe journey, Nakamura-san," his old friend replied with a smile, patting the horse's neck.

The horse nickered softly and broke into a brisk trot, carrying Yuri's father away from her again. She watched him go with a sick feeling in her chest. Only a week, he'd said. She was sure that the days would fly by now that she was keeping busy with her stepmother and sisters, but… it just didn't feel right. Maybe it was because she was still getting used to them? It would be easier having him around as comfort for just a few more days.

He did promise a book. In a week, he would be back by her fireplace reading a new book to her like he always did. The thought gave her some comfort.

Clap-clap!

"Come along, ladies! Back to your lessons," said Hinami, picking up the skirt of her dress to lead them back into the house.

Hisako and Yui were already trailing after her when the baroness's words registered in Yuri's mind, and she quickly whirled around to stop them.

"Hey, wait! It's tradition!" she called to them. "He always waves at the gate."

Hinami stared at her, unfazed, then flashed a thin wisp of a smile and followed her daughters inside.

Yuri sucked in a breath, her heart twinging at what seemed to her an insult to one of the best parts of being a Nakamura. Then she spun on her heel and ran a little farther down the path to get a good view.

The horse's hooves clacked against the dirt driveway in a steady trot, closing in on the gate. A canopy of trees led the way overhead. Birds chattered noisily in the branches. But what was her father doing? Was he slouching? Something was wrong; he'd always been a fan of good posture…

Noises grew louder. Grunts, Coughs, a groan of pain. Maybe his breakfast wasn't agreeing with him—

He heaved another agonized groan, seized, and keeled over sideways, toppling off the horse. His body hit the ground with a heavy thump. The horse kept going.

"PAPA!" Yuri screamed, breaking into a run.

She pushed herself faster than her legs could bear, ragged breaths stabbing at her throat, heart clenching at the sight of his motionless body. She'd never seen him weak like this, never… Falling to her knees beside him, she pushed at his arm and desperately tried to roll him over on his back. Rapid footsteps slapped the dirt behind her but they weren't getting here quick enough!

"Papa! Papa!"

Hinami reached him next, falling to a heap in her billowing dress and pulling him over to face her.

"Kaishou," she whispered fearfully, quavering on a shaky breath. "Kaishou…?"

He looked up at her, his face ashen, his wheezes fading to a choked rattle. Each one sounded like slow torture; but with the energy he had, he turned to Yuri and stroked the leather of his gloves against her cheek, catching the tears that spilled from her green eyes.

"I love you." The words escaped in a soft rasp. "I love you."

"Papa…"

His last breath curdled in his throat. Even the wind in the leaves seemed to freeze. The only sound Yuri heard after that was Hinami's distraught sobs.

"No!" Hinami wept, shaking at his arms. "Kaishou, you cannot leave me here. You cannot leave me here!" She collapsed against Matsushita and muffled her cries into his chest. Masami and Shiina came to Yuri's side only to be furiously pushed off.

"Get away!" she cried, dodging Masami's outstretched hand and hugging her father tighter. Maybe if she didn't let go, he would stay right here and never be able to leave again. But if they pulled her away he would really be gone. Gone like her mother, like the baby brother or sister she thought she was getting all those years ago. Gone for good.

He promised her a book! He promised he'd be back in a week! He promised her!

"Papa, please come back!"

"It would be ten years before another man would enter her life. A man who was still a boy in many, many ways."

A/N: Has anyone else ever wanted an Angel Beats version of Ever After? No? Just me? Eh, it had to be done.

R&R if you please!