Author's Note: Don't ask which war this was based on. The war itself is entirely fictional, and is inspired by numerous real-life wars rather than a single one. I tried to think outside the box on this one, as it doesn't seem that many other fanfics about Angel Beats! stretch too far away from a similar topic (including mine :P). Reviews are really important for me on this story, as they will decide whether or not I'll keep writing about it. ENJOY!
Prologue
People have many ways to describe war. Most call it terrible, tragic, and stupid. They wish that war never existed. To be honest, I can't blame them. It destroys our homes, our families, and to some, our sanity. Because of these reasons, we find ourselves constantly trying to find ways to bring about "world peace". But is that really possible? I want you to think about the word "opinion". We will all have opinions, and there will always be that one person out there who doesn't like our opinion. If we truly want world peace, we'd want everyone to have the same opinion. And so, I ask you again: is World Peace truly possible? I don't think so. Besides, a world where everyone has the same opinion would be far too boring. Don't you agree?
The sun is concealed by thick gray clouds, giving off the impression that it's about to rain. Even so, the cobblestone main street of the city of Namaals is bustling with commoners. People walk back and forth, some to stores, others to work. No matter the destination, hundreds of people find themselves on this road daily.
While everyone carries on with their business outside, a young auburn-haired boy studies a multitude of medical dictionaries in his bedroom.
This boy is Yuzuru Otonashi.
13 years earlier, when Yuzuru was just a small boy, he and his mother went on a trip to see their relatives in the West. Their father stayed home because of his work. When their visit came to an end, Yuzuru's mother decided to travel back home on the brand-new Steam Locomotives that recently became available for public use.
In the beginning, the ride was fine. Young Yuzuru looked excitedly out the window at the beautiful fields of grass and trees while his mother smiled at him. However, something was wrong. When the train entered a tunnel, the steam engine that pulled the locomotive malfunctioned and exploded, instantly killing half of the passengers and derailing the train. The shockwave that the derailing created shook the tunnel, causing it to cave in on both sides.
Yuzuru was alive. This was simply because his mother had covered him with her body, shielding him. Luckily, his mother was alive as well. Later Young Yuzuru would find out that she had suffered injuries which slowly drained the life from her, but didn't tell Yuzuru in fear of making him worried.
With help from her son, Yuzuru's mother tended to the passengers on the train. The both of them kept the second half of the survivors alive for almost a week. However, Yuzuru's mother's condition kept getting worse. On the 7th day of being trapped in the tunnel, Yuzuru's mother collapsed while tending to someone's arm wound.
"Mother! What's wrong?" A worried Yuzuru asks, grabbing his mother's hand.
"Oh dear. I... I thought that it would take longer so I... Focused on tending to everyone else." His mother struggles to reply. Upon hearing this, tears well up in Young Yuzuru's eyes.
"No! Don't leave me, mother! We have to get back to father in the East! You have to see him again!"
"I'm... I'm afraid that won't happen." His mother tells him, tears forming in her eyes. "My son... Promise me that you will carry on our family's title as... a Doctor?"
And with these parting words, her heart stops and she takes a final breath. Her arm goes limp and falls from Yuzuru's hands onto the dirt.
"No... Mother... Come back.." Yuzuru whimpers.
A survivor walks up to Yuzuru and his mother. He kneels down and moves his head near his mother's mouth, listening for breathing. After a few moments, he sighs and stands up.
"She's gone. I'm sorry."
As he hears this, Yuzuru breaks down and sobs. He cries out for his mother to come back, even though he knows that she will never come. He embraces his mother's body tightly, as if she will come back to life if he squeezed hard enough.
Two hours later, rescue teams blew up the rubble that trapped the survivors. The body count was 16 passengers, one of them being Yuzuru Otonashi's mother.
Ever since that day, Yuzuru studied as hard as he could. He graduated from high school at the top of his class, and earned a college scholarship.
While he was at college, a war broke out. Due to political struggles, the West wanted to break free from the East and become its own country. His father quit his current job to become a soldier for the Eastern Regular Army, or ERA, for 1 year.
That brings us to today. Tomorrow, Yuzuru's father is supposed to return from his 1-year enlistment.
"Hey, Yuuuzuuruu!" A voice calls from behind Yuzuru. He places a particularly large textbook on his desk and walks to the door. When he opens it, he finds his 13-year-old sister Hatsune.
"What do you want, sis?" He asks.
"We should make father a welcome-home present! It would just seem too rude to have our father come home after one year in the ERA and not to have a gift for him!" She tells Yuzuru.
"Alright. What should we get him?"
"Well... I was thinking about about getting him a brand-new recliner! Y'know, those fancy super-comfortable chairs!"
"Erm... How are we going to get the money for that?" Yuzuru asks.
"I will pitch in half of the money from my allowance!" Hatsune replies.
"First of all, I think you're way underestimating the cost of a brand-new recliner. Second of all, I saw your allowance. It isn't a lot to begin with." He explains.
"Darn... Well, don't you have money?" The short girl asks.
"Well, I do, but I was saving it for-" Yuzuru tries to say before having his shirt pulled by his sister.
"You do? Great! Let's go buy one right now!" Hatsune exclaims. She carries him downstairs to the front door.
As soon as she opens the front door, an aged man with a black trench coat and a black fedora stands on their front doorstep, blocking their path to the outside.
"Er... Sir? Who are you?" Hatsune asks the man.
"Is your mother home?" The man asks.
Yuzuru steps in. "Our mother has been gone for a long time. I'm the leader in this house."
"I see. Well, in that case, it has become my obligation to hand you this." He holds up a small yellow envelope. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Yuzuru takes the envelope. However, before he can even ask what he means, the man walks away. Yuzuru calls out to him, but loses sight of the man, who has merged with the large crowd of people on the street.
"Yuzuru, you don't think that... Father is dead?" Hatsune asks with tears in her eyes.
"There is only one way to find out." Yuzuru replies. Upon saying this, he open the yellow envelope with trembling hands. Inside is a white note with only a few sentences. The note reads:
Dear Otonashi Family,
We regret to inform you that Aori Otonashi was Killed In Action. We are deeply sorry for your loss. You may contact the Deceased Soldier's Association (DSA) to arrange a funeral, courtesy of the ERA.
As he reads this, memories of his mother's death flood into him, causing him to drop the note. As he stands there, shocked, Hatsune picks up the note and reads it. Once she finished reading the note, she immediately falls to her knees ungracefully and begins to sob.
While his sister is full-on bawling, Yuzuru simply stands there, shocked.
What should I do? What will happen now? Yuzuru thinks to himself. Who will provide for the family now? I'm just in college! Any job they offer me won't pay enough to support Hatsune and I! Well... Except one.
Yes. That one job that is guarenteed to pay enough money to provide food for Hatsune as well as providing enough money for the rent. The very job that cost Yuzuru's father his life.
"Hatsune... I'm sorry... But I have no other choice." Yuzuru says.
"W-wah?" Hatsune replies while trying to keep more tears from falling.
Yuzuru takes a deep breath. "I have to join the ERA."
I know this is entirely unrelated to the main idea of "Afterlife" that Angel Beats provides, but that's simply the point of it. What I attempted here was that this story would keep the original main characters (and most likely plenty of OCs) while changing the main theme that everyone has been going by. At this point, however, I'm really not sure if this is a good idea. Therefore, REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT.