The sun beat down on the pavement. I heard the small sounds my feet made as I walked down the street back to my home. My hand reached up to my scruffy orange hair and I gently fingered my locks. Ugh... I could work on my hair forever and it would still be like this... The cars drove by and people walked near me, out of shops, and on with their own lives. As I was walking, a flash of white caught my eye. I slowed to a stop and saw a girl, probably my age, leaning up against a wall. She had short, snow white hair and was wearing a large hat that concealed most of her face. She was humming a song. The song was so familiar, but I don't know where I had heard it before. There was something strange about her, and it drew me in her direction. Where had I seen her before... who was she? Before I could reach her, she stood up straight and put away her music player. She began walking down the street, away from me. I picked up my pace and walked after her. I weaved my way through the pedestrians going down the street, my eyes captivated on the girl. I was about a foot behind her when I reached out my hand, which landed on her shoulder.
She stopped and turned towards me, revealing her beautiful face. I gasped in astonishment. She had captivating amber eyes, and a slight blush graced her cheeks. Where had I seen her... at school? In a dream? She looked at me, her eyes growing wide. I couldn't help wondering if she thought the same thing. She looked at me closer, her face about a foot from mine. I felt my cheeks stain a deep color of red. "Have we... met before?" she asked. Her voice was soft and melodic, like the gentle keys of a piano.
"I was just wondering the same thing," I replied, and she blinked. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"My name is Tachibana...Kanade Tachibana," she said. I felt some kind of familiarity in her name. Kanade Tachibana...
"My name is Yuzuru Otonashi," I said.
"It is very nice to meet you Otonashi," she replied. She stood up straight and looked up into my eyes. I looked down, back into hers. So angelic... so familiar... I'm sure she'll sprout wings any second. A gentle breeze blew past us, and her hat blew off her head. She gave a small squeal in surprise and sighed. I chased after the hat being carried off by the wind, running to try and retrieve it for her. Finally, the hat was caught in a tree and I grabbed it off a low branch. I walked back to her and held out the hat to her. She graciously retrieved it from my hand and smiled. "Thank you so much," she sang. Well, I'm sure she didn't sing, but it definitely sounded like it.
"It was no problem," I murmured shyly. She made my stomach fill wit butterflies, the way her eyes gleamed at me.
She reached out her hand, probably to shake mine. I reached out my hand and the second our fingertips touched, we had the same reaction. My eyes grew wide and a wave of realization washed over me. He remembered the afterlife, from when he first arrived in the mysterious high school to when he cried after holding this very woman in his arms. She had disappeared, just after he had admitted his love for her. She had been reborn, right here, where he had soon followed. Was it fate? Destiny? Or was there truly a God that we never discovered, watching out for us? Bringing us together? Without thinking, I reached out and pulled her into my arms. She stood there, in my arms, her amber orbs wide with what I hoped was disbelief. She buried her face into my chest and I laid my head on top of hers. She was shaking, like she was crying. I felt my vision blur, and I pulled her tighter. Tears streamed down my face, but I was still smiling, more than I eve had in my life. "Kanade..." I laughed. "I found you..."