Angel Beats: A Shadow Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Angel Beats

Warning: I am still studying so please forgive me if there is too much grammar mistake

Chapter 1

Shadowed World

"This place…This is the afterlife."

A girl spoke on the rooftop. The boy in front of her stared at her in shock. The boy mumbled something and the girl continued.

"You must have some memories of you dying and then you woke up here."

"…"

"Finally, an expression of understanding."

The boy's eyes widened in shock as the girl's words processed inside his head.

My vision became hazy again; I could not hear what they were talking about.

After a few moments, my vision become clearer as I can hear the boy's voice clearly now. However sometimes the voice became muffled and I could not understand at all.

"-how about we introduce ourselves. What's your name? I am ******."

"****"

"********-my mom's name. Do you have a nickname?"

"I don't know about your *************-uri up to now!"

The boy thought for a while and smiled. For some reason, that smile felt nostalgic…

"The- Yur-"

"Yurippe, class's over."

"….huh?"

A familiar voice woke me up from my dream. I opened my eyelids and a blue haired boy's face appeared right in front of me.

"Uwaah!"

Bonk!

"Ouch…what are you doing, Yurippe!? Why a head-butt is the first thing you do after woke up!?"

"What about you, Hinata!? Don't put your face so close to me! Anyone would be surprised if a face suddenly appeared in front of them!"

I argued back and covered my head that bumped with Hinata's. I ignored Hinata's complain and looked at the clock hanging on top of the blackboard.

It's already 2:00pm. Since today is Saturday we get early dismissals. I must have felt asleep during literature class…Wait isn't literature class the first period?

"Oi! Why didn't you wake me up during morning break!?"

"I tried but you just would not wake up! Anyway I spent the entire morning break trying to wake you up that I missed breakfast myself! If I do not eat something in the cafeteria any sooner I will die!"

Growl~

Hinata complained and blushed when his stomach growled. I openly laughed at Hinata's growling voice, unknowing that it would come back to bite at me.

Growl~

"… …"

"Oh…isn't that a cute growling voice I heard? I wonder who is it fro-Gu!"

"Let's get going already!"

I punched Hinata in the stomach and stomped out of the classroom. I ignored the laughter from my classmates as Hinata struggled to follow behind me. Geez…I wondered why I was friend with Hinata in the first place…

… …Friend with Hinata?

Since when I was a friend of Hinata?

How did we meet?

My legs slowly halted to a stop as my mind came to a standstill. There was something missing in my head. I was forgetting something important. I tried to search my past, what happened to me in the past?

I…am a student of this Highschool.

I…studied for exams…

I am a friend of Hitomi….

But who is Hitomi?

Hinata…how did I first meet him?

As my mind was running at breakneck speed, I remembered the dream I saw just now. Those two people on the rooftop seemed so familiar. I could feel that it was an important memory…why did I forget it? What happened there? When did it happen?

"-Rippe! Oi what happened to you! Yurippe!"

Hinata's voice echoed inside my head when I felt my body went weak and fell onto the ground. I tried to move but I was assaulted with a massive headache. There was no point resisting…I could not even see what was happening.

"Yurippe!"

That was the last words I heard before I was disconnected from the world.

"What are you saying all of a sudden…Didn't we form this Battlefront together? We have spent a long time here together, so we'll leave together too. I won't leave you here."

The boy from the rooftop said to the girl with a warm smile. He was her first and most trusted companion. The girl sighed and replied.

"You are such an idiot, like always. Nothing is going to be solved with emotional speeches."

"Even so, I am going to say it."

"Well, if we can, we'll meet again."

The girl from the rooftop saluted to her two friends in front of her. With her heart ready for battle, she turned around and prepared to run away.

"Yurippe!"

The girl halted his steps when the boy from the rooftop called her. The girl did not turn back but continued staring forward. For a moment, I thought she smiled.

"What a terrible nickname. But it might have been why everyone followed me. Thank you."

"…Have you woken up, Yurippe?"

I weakly opened my eyelids and a blank white ceiling greeted me. Sitting beside me was Hinata, stuffing bread into his mouth. My mind was still at a semi-consciousness state but I accepted the bread that Hinata held out. I grabbed the bread and just stuffed it into my mouth.

"!"

"Have you finally wake up?"

"Wa-Water! What the hell is with this bread! How can a bread be this spicy!?"

"From what I heard, it is new bread that put their infamous mapo tofu inside the bread. Apparently someone suggested that idea and they decided to try it out. Here is your water."

I snatched the bottle of water from his hand and gulped down the content. Even though I was half asleep a moment ago, the intensive burning sensation of the mapo tofu brought all of my consciousness back.

Damn you Hinata…I swear that I will get you back next time…

I started planning my revenge as I took a normal looking yakisoba bread and started eating. As for the mapo tofu bread, it has been disposed of by throwing it out of the window. Seeing that the sky was still clear blue, it was still afternoon.

"But seriously Yurippe, you should not just suddenly faint in the middle of the hall way. Did something happen to you?"

Hinata asked with a worried face. I wanted to laugh it off light-heartedly that he does not have to worry about me too much.

But I could not laugh at his face. It was full of seriousness and concern, as if any moment I would disappear from his grasp.

That was the expression he was having.

"It must be just because I am too hungry! Let's go to the cafeteria to eat some decent stuff! If I only eat that yakisoba bread, I will faint due to hunger again! Let's go!"

I leapt out of bed and headed out of the infirmary. Seeing my energetic self, Hinata sighed a brief of relief and followed after me. For now, he is back to the normal cheerful idiot again.

"…Neh Hinata…who am I?"

"…What makes you say that?"

Hinata replied after taking a spoonful of his curry rice. For a moment, I saw Hinata's serious mood before it changed.

Something is wrong, I can feel it. It's not just Hinata. Something is wrong with me too. I feel that I have been forgetting something important. Those dreams that I have…what are they….

"Hinata, answer me honestly. Who am I?"

"Yuri Nakamura, a 3rd year student studying for her national exams to get into a better university, have quite a troublesome personality and likes to drag people into trouble. That pretty much sums it up. In addition, I call you Yurippe because your name is the same as my mother's. Any more questions?"

"Yes, just one."

"Just ask."

"Since when are we friends?"

"… …"

Hinata stopped. Being 'friend' with him so long, I could see from his face that he was trying to think of a lie to answer me.

"Don't lie to me anymore! Everything is wrong with this world! Who am I!? Why can't I remember anything from my past!? Do I even have a past!? And who are you!? Why can't I remember anything about how we met!? Why-"

Bang!

A loud exploding sound of a firework pierced through the stillness of the air and cut my sentence off. For a moment, I looked at the clear blue sky.

There was no way that it could be a firework, it's still daytime.

Don't tell me…a gunshot?

"Attention to all students, please proceed to your own classroom and wait patiently until the teacher attend the scene. Repeat…"

"This is bad…Yurippe let's go to the classroom! It's not safe here!"

Hinata got up from his chair and grabbed my arm. I could feel his tight grip as he pulled me out of my chair and running to the classroom. For a moment, I could only wonder,

-What is Hinata so worried about?-

Is he worried about the gunshot or…

…no, he is worrying about me…

That gunshot… … he knew something about it.

"Let go of me!"

I pulled my hand away from Hinata's grip and escaped. Hinata was surprised by my action and tried to catch me. I quickly ran faster and headed towards the source of the gunshot. When I turned back, I could see that his face was full of worry for me. I almost wanted to turn back and go with him just to relieve him.

But I can't, I must know the truth.

"Sorry Hinata, I must know the truth."

"Yurippe!"

Hinata's voice slowly faded as I ran faster, faster than normal. Was I this fast? I dismissed the unimportant question and headed for the principal's office. The crowd of teachers standing by the door told me that I was right about the source of commotion.

"Oi! You! Didn't you hear the announcement! Go back to your classroom!"

A teacher noticed my presence and shouted at me. I ignored him and quickly took a look inside the room.

At that moment, I suffered a major vision distortion.

I could only see student holding the old principal by the neck. In fact it does not feel threatening or dangerous at all. I felt as if nothing was wrong about the situation.

I felt as if this was normal.

Then my vision distorted. For a few seconds, I could see it. The black metallic object that was pointed at the principal's head. I became alerted to danger.

Then it returned to normal again before it distorted. Something was wrong about this scene. I suffered major headache and was not thinking straight anymore.

I cannot hear what the student is shouting, but through the distorted visions, I realize that the black metallic object is now aiming at me. When I had not noticed, I had wandered into the room.

The student shouted again. My headache was so painful that I could not recognise what was he saying. The student's hand was shaking.

And through the distorted vision, I saw him pulled the trigger.

Bang!

I closed my hands, preparing to meet my doom.

But it never come.

That's because in front of me, Hinata stood and took the bullet.

"Hinata! You are bleeding! Hinata! Why did you do that…"

I cried in shock and fear as I held Hinata. Even though he was in deep pain, he still smiled for me.

"Hey…I said it before, Right? In a hopeless situation, to sacrifice myself…I don't mind."

"Are you an idiot!? Sacrificing yourself for me…that's just-"

"…I want to… protect you… that is all I wanted…"

"Hinata!"

I tried shaking Hinata awake. No…there is no way that he will die like that! He said that he will protect me! You can't protect people if you are dead!

At this moment, a hand rested on my left shoulder. When I turned around, a student with bright orange hair was looking at Hinata. He moved his face closer and whispered into my ear.

"I will take care of this. Please take him to the infirmary."

"…I got it."

I carried Hinata on my shoulder and ran. Even though he was heavy, I was running at a fast pace. As I ran, I prayed.

Hinata…please be alright!

"You…Don't come any closer or I will shoot! You do not want to end up like the guy just now, don't you?"

The student threatened as he aimed the gun in his hand at the new student that came in. He never actually thought that he would pull the trigger and killed someone. When he found this gun lying on the ground, he just wanted to use it to threaten some information out of people.

But there was nothing to worry about, people do not die here, he knew that already. That was why he was not guilty for killing a student. He would not hesitant to kill the student in front of him either.

"Greetings. I am the student council president. I believe that I am the one you want so let go of the principal. As you can see, I lock the door and the principle is useless to you."

"Chee."

The student let go of the principal and focused his aiming at the president in front of him. Shooting one person has made him more confident to shoot another. The student checked that the president really locked the door and asked.

"Where-no what is this place!"

"This is the afterlife, the place where people with regrets come. You are supposed to let go of your regrets and achieve satisfaction to move on. If you want, I can help you-"

"Don't screw with me! A trash like me has no place for happiness. Rather than that, I would make this my world! With this gun, I can take control of this world!"

The student was addicted to the power that the gun gave him. With a gun, he was basically the strongest people here. With a gun, he could do anything he wanted. That was what the student thought.

"…Your existence is a trash indeed. I have been observing you for a while, you pushed three innocent students off the building just to test if they would really die. And just now you shot another innocent student. You are a trash beyond saving."

"So what! What are you going to do about it? Give me a lecture? Or give me a punishment in the name of the president? How about I kill you like how I kill that guy? If you beg for mercy on your kneels now I will consider-"

Bang!

"Argha! What the-!"

The student screamed in pain when a bullet tore through his arm. The gun on his hand fell onto the floor. The student tried to bend down to reach the gun. However the president was faster and kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying to the principal's table.

The student tried to stand up weakly. When he looked up, the president was aiming a gun at him.

"Wait… I surrender… please don't-"

"How does it feel to be killed, I believe that you need to experience that before you realize you can't do anything you want in this world."

"Wait! Please I apologize so-!"

Bang!

The bullet tore through his forehead and killed the student instantly. The president wanted to give more pain by giving him a slow death. However he could feel that two other individuals were approaching.

""President!""

A pair of students broke through the locked door and entered the room. The girl has long white hair while the other was wearing a hat. Both of them were the vice presidents of the student council. When they saw the gore scene in front of them, the first thing that came to their mind was not the dead student but-

"Are you alright, President!? Are you hurt!?"

"Your shirt is drenched with blood! You have to change into a new one!"

"I will do that later. More importantly let's call the cleaners to clean up this mess. The principal is starting to have phobia with blood after all."

The President patted the two vice presidents in the head and smiled, reassuring them that he was fine.

The two vice presidents then glared at the body. They picked up the body together in disgust and prepared to take it to the detention prison where students that broke rules would be 'lectured' by the President himself.

By now the teachers have already left and the principal was relieved as he saw the President saved him again. Normally the teachers would have handled the situation but once they realize the President's effectiveness, they let him do what he wants.

The president looked at the white haired girl as she slowly disappeared from the horizon. He then looked at the principal room again as nostalgic memories surfaced.

"…No…the SSS is already gone now…"

With those final words, the president left the room.

"...Urgh...I fell sick..."

"You are alive! Thank god!"

When Hinata finally woke up, I could not hold my tears anymore and cried. For a moment, my distorted vision told me that he was dead. But my normal vision told me that he was still alive. I hugged Hinata, I do not care if I do not know when is he my friend anymore. He is my most trusted friend, that is all that matters.

"Urm...Yurippe...? Do you mind letting me go... this is embarrassing..."

"Oh..."

I quickly released myself from Hinata and looked another way. I knew that I was blushing madly. I tried to calm myself and faced Hinata again.

"That's right I remembered! Our first meeting is at the principal's office and also in a hostage situation, isn't it!? Wait...there should be a few more memories than that... when is the time we really-"

"Yurippe! You really remembered that!?"

"Uwaah! What are you doing!"

I exclaimed in surprise when Hinata suddenly got up and grabbed me by the shoulders. He was still half naked with only some bandage on. Even though I was blushing madly, he still would not let go of me.

"Do you remember anything! Just anything! Please tell me!"

"Wait Hinata! Calm down! You are scaring me!"

"Urgh-!"

Out of reflex, my body punched Hinata in the face with a force that I never had before. He took the full blow and his head fell back onto the pillow again.

"Ouch...it's has been a long time since you punched me..."

"...Anyway! Just stay here and rest for the night! I am going back to my room!"

"Wait Yurippe! I apologize so-!"

"Go back to sleep you pervert!"

Again, my body reacted on its own. However this time it was my foot that connected with his face. Checking that no one saw me kicked Hinata, I quietly left the room, leaving the unconsciousness Hinata behind.

"That kick...that punch...that is the Yurippe, that's for sure."

"... ..."

"You know, Yurippe remembered the hostage situation from our past! Maybe deep inside, Yurippe still-"

"Yuri's soul has been eaten by the shadows. The SSS has been destroyed. That's the ending, Hinata..."

"...Where are the other members?"

"...Probably hiding."

"Hiding from what? The Shadows are already gone!"

"...They are hiding from Yuri, Hinata. Just like I am."

"Oi! Come back here! Otonashi!"

The door of the infirmary closed behind the President. When he walked out, he saw the vice president, Tachibana Kanade looking at him.

"It is over curfew time already, President. It will not be a good example to the students if you are up this late."

Tachibana Kanade smiled. The original Kanade would not have been able to smile like that, the President thought.

"...You are right. Good night, Ka- Tachibana-chan."

"Good night, President."

With that, the two went their separate ways to their dorm room. Along the way, the president found himself cursing.

"If God really exist and planned all these to happen... I will find him and kill him!"

A/N: Hey I am back! The idea of 'what if the shadow won' came to me and so this fiction is created. Funnily, this title may contrast with Angel Beats! Be Human. I have not much to say for now so please read and review!