Kyle: I'll Be Waiting

That jerk... I smashed my fist into a nearby window, pretending it was the amnesiac's head, smiling as it shattered to pieces.

That moron... I swung my halberd into the wall, leaving a huge gash where a "don't run in the halls" sign used to hang. It didn't matter. The school would magically fix itself in a couple of hours, anyway. No damage was ever permanent here.

At least, no tangible damage was ever permanent. Emotional wounds lived on forever in this world, they left mangled scars that followed us everywhere. After all, that was why most of us were here, right?

I tried to yank my halberd out from where it was embedded in the wall, much to no avail. That's when a door clicked open at the end of the hall and I heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh, there you are, Kyle," a voice said from behind me. I turned around to find Alexis standing at the end of the hallway. "We're holding a meeting in the Principal's office. Be there in five, 'kay?"

"S-sure thing..." I nodded, not even bothering to hide the halberd stuck deep in the wall beside me. Fortunately, she seemed not to notice. Or maybe she just didn't care.

"All right," she smiled before leaving. As soon as she did, I let out a sigh as I continued walking towards the auditorium, in the opposite direction of the Principal's office. This might've been the one time that I directly disobeyed Alex's orders.

...Well, at least I managed to do something right yesterday. In fact, the brief conversation that just occurred reminded me of what happened last night.

I was walking through the same hallway the night before, right after Operation Parachute. The mission had been successful, Angel had been fended off long enough for us to gather up enough meal tickets to last us for a while.

I was on my way to my dorm room, intent on getting some shut-eye after all that had happened that night. I'd had to team up with that stupid amnesiac... Maybe I'd take a shower, too. Just to wash off the very essence of being with him for that short time.

Heh. I had to hand it to him, the newbie did pretty well against Angel for his first time. But then again, he would've been toast if I hadn't been there. Not that the situation would've particularly been a bad thing...

"Kyle?" A voice from nearby crashed my train of thought. "Where are you going?" The voice asked. It was sweet and musical. I knew that voice...

"Alexis?" I turned to find her standing at the end of the hallway.

"We're all headed to the cafeteria now, if you want to join us," she nodded towards the cafeteria doorway.

"No, thanks," I muttered as I started to walk away.

"Wait!" I heard her call out across the hall, followed by the quick pattering of her shoes on the floor. "Kyle!"

I came to an abrupt stop when she called my name, and I felt a hand grab my forearm. I stiffened, feeling her hand relatively close to mine, aware that she was now standing right next to me. I didn't turn to face her, I only stopped walking, still looking straight ahead with what I'd hoped was a stone-faced expression.

"I..." she slowly dropped her hand and took a step back. "I guess I just wanted to tell you that you did a nice job tonight."

"Huh?" I looked behind me and saw that she was walking away now.

She stopped and turned back around. "I heard about what you did for Naylor," she smiled. "That was very nice of you, and quick thinking on your part."

"Uh, thanks..." Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Was Alexis actually complimenting me?

"Well," she nodded. "Good night, then, Kyle." And she then began walking back in the opposite direction.

"Wait," I called out. Now it was my turn to chase after her. "Alexis!"

She suddenly stopped and turned around, looking up at me with those mystifying aqua eyes.

"I... I was wondering..." I stuttered. "Could I... join you in the cafeteria?" I cast my eyes downward, avoiding eye contact. That might in fact be the longest sentence that I have said to her yet.

Suddenly I felt something soft and warm grab my hand. I looked down to find that she had taken my hand in hers and was now leading me down the hall to the cafeteria.

"You can sit at my table, okay?" She looked back at me and smiled.

And that time, I didn't look away. I smiled back.

I finally yanked my halberd out of the wall and continued on walking.

I quietly opened the door to the empty auditorium and unlocked the cupboard under the stage with my key. After I pulled out the chairs that were inside the cupboard, I opened the bulletproof trapdoor inside. I climbed down the metal ladder that led underground, closed the hatch, and went a little ways down the tunnel. When I was satisfied, I picked a spot on the ground and sat down.

That amnesiac may not be quite as bad as I thought... But I didn't quite accept him as a Battlefront member yet. He and I would have a little chat next time I saw him.

But this time, I'd be ready.

This time, I'd be waiting for him.

Somewhat Minimal Author's Note

This is the second volume in my "Angel Beats!" series, titled "Guild". If you begin the series here, a lot of it won't make much sense.

You can read the first volume, "Departure" by visiting my page: fanfiction. net/~mormonsrock