Chapter II: Second Departure
Otonashi's eyes jolt open, staring up into a hazed sky, a white orb attempting to peak through the fog with some avail.
"Where am I?" - Otonashi begins thinking to himself. "Did I get kidnapped...?"
Otonashi sits up, looking forward. His sight blocked by a thick fog, only able to see about ten meters or so in front of him. The thick, white clouds were all over him, blocking his entire field of view. He looked around, seeing almost nothing else but a few dead trees and the dirt he sat on. He looked down at his lap and noticed he was dressed in a black slacks. His upper body was also covered with a black school uniform top.
"I'm wearing a school boy's uniform... What the hell is going on? Did I pass out on a field or something?"
Otonashi makes an attempt to remember what happened a day before. Suddenly, a grave thought began ringing in his head.
"Oh no! The medical exam! I'm going to be late! I need to find the train station!"
The unfamiliarity of this place also raised questions in his head that filled it with more bulk. His worries suddenly caught up to him. He managed to get up on one knee. He put his other hand on his leg for support and lifted himself to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he felt a slight shiver run through his entire body.
Otonashi: (Murmuring to himself) "Why does the air feel so heavy? It's just fog..."
Otonashi moves his arms around, trying to feel the air around him. He begins to breathe harder, finding it difficult to keep respirated.
Otonashi: (Struggling to breathe) "What the hell is in this air?"
Now panting, he drops to his knees, grasping his throat.
"This contaminated air hit me so quick?! Where the hell am I?!"
Otonashi, on his knees, grasping his own throat, begins to attempt standing again. He drives his left foot into the dirt to gain some support. As he moves his other foot, he loses balance, going shoulder-first into the dirt.
Otonashi: (Exclaiming) "Dammit! What the hell is this place?!"
His voice echoes loudly, resonating back into his ears even two seconds after.
Otonashi: (Yelling) "Help! Is anyone...-" (Coughing, holding his throat) "Is anyone there?!"
He looks around, his face turning pale and his lips darkening.
Otonashi: (Yelling) "Hello?!"
He coughs more, struggling even harder. He makes a valiant attempt to taking a deep breath. Once more, he tries digging his heel into the ground for support, then begins to stand. He quickly moves his other foot to catch balance. As he obtains his center of gravity, he begins opening his mouth to yell once more. As he could get the first syllable of the word 'hello', his vision is suddenly turning into nothing, his hearing becomes nonexistent, and he loses all feeling. A sudden, but almost silent cracking sound echoes almost immediately after.
And then nothing...
~Moments pass...
Otonashi begins to regain consciousness, feeling a cool breeze flow through his orange hair and his pale face. The sound of a motor to his left roared loudly into his ears. His eyes suddenly bolt open, confused as to his whereabouts. He looks around quickly, then down at his lap, noticing he was buckled up in a small cart. He takes a deep breath, realizing the air was safe to inhale. Looking up to his left, he sees a girl with long, blonde pigtails sitting on a cruiser-type motorcycle. She wore a white school uniform top and a blue skirt, accessorized with nonfashionable, black motorcycle goggles on her face. The sky was slightly dark and hazy, and the fog was light, showing some visibility for less than a mile or so. The girl suddenly looks over and notices that her passenger had finally come to.
Yusa: (Talking loudly over the motor) "So you're awake I see"
Otonashi: (Talking loudly over the motor) "Where the hell am I? What am I going?"
The girl looked down, slightly concerned as to why he didn't point out the obvious familiarity she'd assume him to have. She begins speaking loudly once more, her vocal cords trying to out-sound the motorcycle.
Yusa: "You're in the afterlife... Again"
Otonashi: "Afterlife?! Again?! What the hell are you talking about?!"
Before even realizing where they were, Otonashi realizes that the girl had suddenly come up to a large, red-brick school building. A large sign on the schoolyard was covered with a large tarp and painted with the words "死んだ世界戦線" (Afterlife War Front). As she came to a stop, immediately she shut off the engine and hopped off the seat, her shoes making contact with the ground with the sounding tap of her rubber soles.
Yusa: "This is the Afterlife Battle Front headquarters"
Otonashi unbuckles his safety belt and lifts his legs out with some struggling, in an attempt to force himself out of the cramped side-cart. As he struggled, he tried speaking.
Otonashi: (Struggling to remove himself from the cart) "What the hell are you talking about?" (Murmuring to himself) "Dammit... I can't get out of this..."
He finally gets his leg out, his momentum pushing him over the side and completely tripping to the pavement, letting out a loud grunt. As he began to stand, Yusa stood emotionless, ready to answer his questions. She removed her goggles and began to speak.
Yusa: "So I take it you don't recognize me then?"
Otonashi: (Standing up, looking at Yusa) "Recognize? I've never even seen you before!"
Yusa: "So you have lost your memories... Again..."
Otonashi: (Trying to stay calm) "Okay... Again with this 'again' crap... What the hell are you talking about? Where am I? What am I doing here? Why are you saying afterlife?!"
Yusa: "Because we're all dead. I've also already told you where we were, Otonashi... We're at the...-"
Otonashi: (Interrupts) "How the hell do you know my name?!"
Yusa: "You've lost your memories; most likely in transient from that other world into this one"
Otonashi buries his face into his hands.
Otonashi: (Panicking) "Look! I don't have time for this crap! You think this is some kind of a joke?!" (Looks at wristwatch) "Oh man, if I'm late to this exam, I'll never live it down! All that studying to get into medical school will have gone to waste!"
Yusa: "Medical school?"
Suddenly, before any other words are said, a familiar voice calls out from the interior of the school building's entrance.
Yuri: (Calling out from inside) "Thank you, Yusa for helping him out. I'll take it from here"
Yusa nods, her golden pigtails swinging as she walks into the school, passing a girl with long, vibrant, purple hair and seafoam green eyes. Comparing their clothing, Otonashi notices that they were wearing similar uniforms, except the girl with purple hair wore long stockings that reached up almost to the end of her skirt. Otonashi looked at the girl, feeling a slight feeling of de'ja'vu.
The girl suddenly lunges towards Otonashi, throwing her arms around Otonashi's body. Otonashi's cheeks show a small, pink blush.
Wow, she really smells good...
Yuri: (Smiling, rejoicing) "Otonashi! Oh my god, it's so good to see you again!"
Otonashi takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, pinching his fingers over his nostrils in frustration. Yuri feels the confusion emitting from him, letting go of him quickly and stepping back.
Otonashi: (Calm, but frustrated) "Okay... I'm going to reiterate..." (Yells loudly) "What the hell are you people talking about?! I've never met any of you before! Ever! Not ever!"
Yuri puts her hands over her hips, cocking her head to the left slightly, staring at Otonashi. A short, uncomfortable pause overcomes the both of them. Yusa can be seen in the background just slightly, sneaking a peak from a pillar inside the school. Yuri puts a fist on her chin, wondering what was going on inside of his head. Otonashi sighs; the uncomfortable silence hovering around his body. The discomfort causes him to break into the feeling of guilt from his uncontrolled and angry outburst.
Otonashi: (Feeling bad, speaking calmly) "Look, I'm sorry for my outburst... But I don't understand anything that's going on..."
Yuri stares more at Otonashi. Suddenly, in an instant, a memory clicks in her mind.
Yuri: "Otonashi, tell me, what were you doing before you found yourself here?"
Otonashi: "What was I doing? Well, it's pretty bleak... I was on a train to a medical exam to get me into this school... I remember there was some sort of stoppage, and I ended up falling asleep I think... I can barely remember it... I honestly don't even know why I wanted to become a medical professional... I just know it's really important I get there to complete my test"
Yuri: "It's just as I feared. Your memories are gone. You have no memory of what happened in your recent turn of events"
Otonashi raises an eyebrow, feeling a slight frustration fill him once more.
Otonashi: "What do you mean? That's the last thing that happened to me..."
Yuri: (Shaking her head) "No it's not. You must have lost most of your memories in transient into this world... That's really inconvenient"
Otonashi: "I don't understand... There's no way..."
Yuri: "You don't remember anything? Me? Hinata? Naoi? You don't remember the graduation ceremony that Kanade planned?"
Otonashi's mind suddenly clicks, his eyes bolt wide open, quickly making eye contact with Yuri. She realizes that she must have triggered a small shard of a memory in his head.
Otonashi: (Interrupting) "Wait..." (Holding up his hand in-between him and Yuri) "What was that name...?"
Yuri begins to see a ray of hope encase the unfortunate and inconvenient situation her dear friend happens to be in.
Yuri: "You mean Kanade?"
Otonashi is slightly entranced by the name, as if he is gaining slight memory of a cause that's long lost.
Otonashi: (Uttering the name in silence) "Ka-na-de...?"
Yuri: "Yes... Her name is Kanade Tachibana" (Murmuring to herself) "So you must have some memory"
Otonashi: "That name sounds so familiar..."
Yuri interrupts the silence of curiosity, gesturing that he follow her inside.
Yuri: "Well, instead of standing out here, why don't we go inside. We have some refreshments. You were exposed to the fog of war for quite some time I heard. You could use the rest"
Otonashi gives off a confused expression.
Otonashi: "Wait, I'm sorry... Fog of what?"
Yuri chuckles.
Yuri: "I'll explain inside... Follow me"
~Some little time later, inside of the Class SSS HQ - Cafeteria
Within the HQ building of Class SSS, Yuri sits at a lunch table in a cafeteria, across from Otonashi. Yuri holding a warm cup of tea over the table carefully, continuing an explanation that Otonashi still doesn't seem to want to believe. Picking at his bowl of beef udon soup, he tries listening to Yuri and her explanation.
Otonashi: "So you're telling me that the memories I've told you about were memories that I've kept since I was alive...?"
Yuri: "I remember when we all lived in that school, you told us that before dying, you were on your way to some exam to get you into a medical school, but then your train got into some huge accident"
Otonashi: "Wow... I can't even remember my own death?"
Yuri: "But for some reason, you're able to remember what you were trying to do before your death, and you also recognize Kanade's name..."
Otonashi: "The name just seems too familiar to me..." (Picking at his soup) "Could you..." (Pauses) "Could you explain to me what she looks like by any chance...?"
Yuri smiles, nodding her head once, then takes a sip of her warm tea. She places it carefully on the table and clears her throat.
Yuri: "Kanade is one of my closest friends. She's really short, so she's pretty easy to notice just by that aspect alone. She has beautiful, long, white hair and gorgeous, golden eyes. She kind of has that emotionless look to her stance, and seems a little inept, but she's incredibly smart" (Remembering something) "Actually, you know what? I just realized, look behind you, and you'll see a picture of her on the wall!"
Otonashi turns around in his seat and sees a group of large portraits hanging on the rear cafeteria wall, in-between two entrances. One of them in particular that Yuri pointed out was a girl who was leaning forward into her run, two blades extending from under her tan-colored top's cuffs. Her long, silvery-white hair swaying in the headwinds. Her golden eyes fixated on a distant target it seemed. Otonashi is completely intrigued and entranced by the portrait of the girl, amazed by it.
Yuri begins to realize that she had left before Otonashi, Kanade, and Hinata before disappearing from the former world she once resided.
(Yuri thinking to herself) I wonder if something happened between Otonashi and Kanade before they both left that school... She's the only one he seems to remember, even if it's just barely. If only he had his memories... Come to think about it, Kanade has never really mentioned about him either... Did they get into a fight? Did they grow to resent each other?... Hmm... Or maybe..."
Otonashi: "What are those blades she's using?"
Yuri: "Their her special abilities. This world isn't like the world of the living. Remember, we're in the afterlife, so many thing you might think that make no sense, are considered in this world. But those things she has, she calls them her Hand Sonic. Their her defense mechanisms for when she needs them. I forgot to also mention she's reluctant to exposing them unless she notices a possible threat"
Otonashi gives off an intrigued look, still slightly confused as to how things in this world work. His mind slowly becomes side-tracked by the picture of Kanade.
Otonashi: (Intrigued) "She's... She's one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in my life..."
Otonashi turns towards the table again, making eye-contact with Yuri once more.
Otonashi: "I don't know why, but I feel like I've met her before..."
Yuri: (Snapping lightly at him) "Didn't I tell you that we've all met? Geeze, you're hard of hearing!"
Otonashi: "I can't really seem to recall you or anyone else... Just her..." (Pausing to think) "But I can't even remember the connection between her and I"
(Yuri thinking to herself) Maybe if we bring him to Naoi, he can use his hypnotism...
Yuri: "I know someone who can help you. He's an old friend of yours, too. Not only that, but he lives in the same city as Kanade"
Otonashi: (Smiling) "I don't know what kind of connections I've made with you all, but it seems that we were pretty close if you're so inclined to helping me out... Assuming all of what you've told me is true"
Yuri: (Smiling and standing up proudly) "Then it's settled. We will travel to the Imperial Shian City at dawn!"
Otonashi: "Wait, what? Imperial City?"
Yuri: (Chuckling, hiding her smile) "Oh, hehe... Did I forget to mention that Kanade happens to be the Vicereine of this entire area?"
(Note/Fact: A Vicereine is a female who has rule over a country, colony, or is a representitive of a sovereign. In other words, she's a Queen...)
Otonashi: (Eyes widening and yelling in surprise) "Wait, what?!"
