A/N: Canteen means cafeteria, it's just that I'm from the UK. I do not own Angel Beats! Or its plot/characters, but this plot and OC are mine. Enjoy :)

Mayu was walking to the Battlefront room like she usually did, it was still un-named as of yet, but that's what the Battlefront planned to fix today. They were changing it from 'Not Yet Dead' At least that's what Mayu thought they were doing, but they might be doing something completely different instead. Mayu wasn't sure, she wasn't listening the meeting before.

She got to the door when she realised she'd forgotten the password. Mayu tried the previous ones, but to no avail. Oops. That must have been one of the things that went on in the previous meeting. One of the things Mayu didn't listen to.

She questioned to whether or not to just abandon the meeting and just go and sit outside, but Mayu knew that Yuri was likely to send someone like Noda to go and get her; And Noda would probably kill her.

Mayu didn't particularly want to go to this meeting because all it was going to consist of was re-naming the Battlefront, but she couldn't get in, so she decided to go to the canteen to get something quick to eat instead.

As Mayu turned away from the door, she came face to face with a strange golden-hazel pair of eyes.

"Oh, Naoi." Mayu said, a slight brush painting her cheeks, backing away slightly because of his closeness. Naoi was wearing his signature smirk. "We're you thinking of leaving?" He asked. "Um. Yeah. I couldn't remember the password." She confessed awkwardly. "Oh. Hm." Naoi said. "Why not? Otonashi would be disappointed." He finished. "Don't you mean Yuri?" Mayu quizzed. "Oh. Um. Yes." Naoi answered.

The two of them stood by the door awkwardly, neither of them going inside the room or making a move to. "Can I go to the canteen now...?" Mayu asked awkwardly. Wondering why she was asking Naoi permission, she only just caught his answer.

"No." "Oh. But I don't-" She began. "Because you weren't listening last time." Naoi cut in. Mayu shifted awkwardly. There was a reason she wasn't listening the last time, not that she told anybody.

"Well, yes that's true, but-" She started. "But nothing." Naoi cut across again. Mayu sighed. "Well, you can't go in without giving away the password." Mayu counter-argued. "Hm. True." Naoi said. "Or I could hyponoti-" He began. "NOPE." Mayu cut across loudly, shutting her eyes tightly and covering her ears.

She opened her right eye first to check that he wasn't doing anything, but when Mayu opened her eyes and let her arms fall, she saw him in front of her, closer than before, looking confused. Naoi sighed in front of her then said the password and let them both into the Battlefront room.

"Why are you both late?!" Yuri screeched. Mayu opened her mouth to answer, but Naoi beat her to it. "I needed a second opinion on a project we have to do for the school council." He explained. "Oh. Fine." Yuri said. Naoi stuck his thumbs up behind his back at Mayu, then went to sit down. There were no extra spaces so Mayu sat on the floor.

Yuri started talking about more names for the Battlefront, but Mayu tuned out and lent on the small table in front of her.

Mayu started thinking about her own death, like last time when she tuned out in the previous meeting.

-Flashback-

Mayu got onto a bus, it wasn't too heavily crowded, nor was it empty. She sat down on the seats just behind the pram and wheelchair section. She was in for a longer bus ride than normal today, she stuck in her headphones and tuned out the world.

The bus was headed towards her grandparent's house. she was glad to finally get away from her parents, she'd run away, yes, but at least she'd made it. Her parents always fought with each other and yelled at Mayu, so she left.

Mayu noticed there were two figures standing above her. She pulled out her headphones as she noticed the bus was a lot more full than it originally was. "I'm so sorry, did you say something?" Mayu asked the old couple stood above her. "Yes, sorry, but do you mind if we sit here?" The old lady asked. "Oh, of course, it's not a problem." Mayu said, getting up and grabbing onto the poles that held the 'stop' buttons as herself and the old couple shuffled past each other.

Mayu grabbed onto one of the overhead handles to keep herself balanced as she plugged her headphones in once more.

Just as Mayu noticed she was nearing her stop, the lights in the bus went out, flickered, and then came back on. The new thing now was that there was someone else on the bus.

Mayu looked around at him and pulled out her headphones out of fear. She noticed it was a bus jacking immediately and tried to stay quiet.
"EVERYONE STAY IN YOUR SEATS!" The bus jacker yelled, obviously drunk. Mayu felt as if everyone had looked at her apologetically and then kept themselves hidden. The did that because there were no seats left.

Mayu looked around frantically and she heard a 'click' of a gun, but she realised it was pointless. There were no seats.

Mayu watched as the bus passed her grandparent's house and fear over took her.

"I SAID SEATS!" The bus jacker yelled. Mayu cowered slightly, but refused to meet his eye. "ARE YOU IGNORING ME? I'LL TEACH YOU TO IGNORE SOMEONE LIKE ME!" The bus jacker yelled, as he fired many shots.

Mayu was hit fatally. She fell as a bullet pierced her, but she didn't know where and she slid as the bus went up a hill. Her head met the little step and she died, there and then, whether it be from blood loss or a blow to the head.

-End of flashback-

"Mayu!" Yuri shouted. "What, I'm sorry!" Mayu flinched. Yuri sighed and continued with the meeting.
Mayu rested her arms on the table and perched her head on them as she pretended to listen. She realised that she probably should, but she continued not to.

She felt a prodding on her shoulder and looked round. She spotted Naoi, giving her the same look as he gives Otonashi. He stood up silently and sat on the arm rest of the chair he was recently sitting on. He used his head to motion for her to sit there beside him. Which Mayu did.


The meeting finally came to an end and once it had, Mayu quickly thanked Naoi for giving up his seat, then she briskly walked out. She looked back quickly and saw Otonashi speaking to Naoi, but she carried on walking.

Mayu made it to the baseball fields when she started to slow down. She started to walk through a few of the trees until she came across one she could easily climb and sit in. So, she did.

Mayu started to think. What was keeping her here? In this... 'underworld' ? What was it that she could not accomplish in her previous life which caused her to come here? Was it being too polite to say no to standing? Or was that just simple manners? Was there anything else keeping her here? The fact that she never had a good home environment... She never really got out much. So, she never really got to do much... And then there was one more thing...

"Mayu! What are you doing up there?" She heard someone shout. She looked down at Naoi. "Sorry." She called down. "I was just thinking." She finished. "Well, come down here, would you?" Naoi asked.

Mayu jumped down swiftly and landed gracefully in front of him. "Yeah?" She asked after brushing herself off.

Naoi looked at her the way he looked at Otonashi again before asking: "I know this may seem really personal, but what is it you want to do? What lingering feelings do you want to overcome?"

Mayu looked shocked. She could tell it made Naoi feel a little bit bad. "I'm sorry, was that too personal?" He asked. "No, no it wasn't." She answered awkwardly, looking down. "So...what is it?" Naoi pressed.

Mayu looked up at him suspiciously. "Are you trying to obliterate me?" She asked, a threatening glare in her eyes. "N-no!" Naoi stuttered. "I'm just curious, is all." He finished.

Mayu decided to let it go. "I've always wanted to give someone a proper telling off." She confessed.

"Well, you can go for it if you want." Naoi offered. Mayu looked skeptical, but then thought of it as a good idea. "Fine, but ask if you can sit where I am." She told him. "Is this related-" Naoi began, but Mayu cut swiftly across him. "Yes, it is. Now say it."

Naoi came up to Mayu, ready to speak. "C-can I sit here?" He asked. Mayu looked up at him and had to fight her politeness. She summoned up all her anger and started a rage.

"No. No you can't sit here. What if I've been here for hours? What if I've been here barely ten minutes and my feet are really hurting from something I did earlier? What if all I want to do right now, is sit here and listen to my music, and not bother to comply with manners and politeness!" She began. Mayu raved and raged for a long time, the anger still burning within her, but it was extinguished by the time she'd stopped yelling.

Mayu decided it was a good feeling. That it was nice to finally get that off her chest.

"That was quite some fury." Naoi commented. Mayu smiled despite everything. "Is there anything else?" He asked.

Mayu looked at him. "Well, I... I never got out much, so I never really met people, um..." She stammered. "So you...want a friend?" Naoi asked, feeling a little bit sad inside. "Not quite..." Mayu said quietly. "Oh..." Naoi said, suddenly feeling happier.

"I know what it is you want." He smiled at her. He smiled the way he did to Otonashi; The smile to show he cared. He placed his hand lightly onto hers and she realised that he was going to obliterate her, but strangely, she was okay with that.

The two faced each other as Naoi cupped Mayu's face in his hands. He hugged her first, as if starting from the beginning. She hugged him back. He'd already realised what he wanted was in his arms right now, and Mayu soon realised it too. She didn't want to be obliterated if she had to leave him here now.

Naoi pulled away and cupped her face once more. There were only just noticeable tears in his eyes and slightly more noticeable tears in hers. The two got closer and as they did, they could see each other's tears on the others eyelashes as they began to close the gap between them.

Naoi closed it first. Not too forcefully, but not too lightly. He was warm from being inside longer; She was colder from sitting outside. They moved in perfect sync. Each other's hands found the others hair and Naoi's hat was knocked away in the process. Mayu started to smile and then so did Naoi.

Naoi pulled away first, quickly embracing Mayu in a tight hug. He knew that she was going to be obliterated. He grabbed his hat quickly and tears started to pour down his own face. "Keep this. Remember me. Remember that I love you." He told her, hugging Mayu once more.
Mayu took the hat and cried silently herself, she knew she was going to be obliterated after she'd said goodbye. She put his hat on and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Naoi. Thank you so much for helping me like that...For helping this world." Mayu paused for a minute. "I love you, too, I won't forget you, I hope we meet again someday, Naoi. You take this." Mayu said, handing Naoi her lucky necklace. "You remember me too." She finished. "I love you." She repeated. "Thank you." She said once more. then she was gone.


Naoi ran back to the Battlefront meeting place; Where he knew everyone would be. "Otonashi!" He called, a few stray tears still clinging to his face. "I did what you asked..." He cried.

"I'll be going too..." He admitted. "I don't...need to stay here. Goodbye, and thank you." Naoi rushed. And then he was gone.


In their next life:

Next-generation Naoi was walking through the streets in the same black outfit as before. He always thought he was missing something when he wore these clothes.

Next-generation Mayu was waiting for a bus, she kept fiddling with her black hat and kept prodding her neck, where a necklace should be out of nerves. She always had a strange thing about buses.

Naoi passed a bus stop and saw a girl with a black hat that looked all too familiar to him. He did a double take and went back to where he saw her after walking on too far, but when he got back to the stop, the girl, the hat and the bus were lost in the city.

A/N: Was it good? Reviews/criticism are appreciated. This was fairly quick, but I think it came out well. :)