Angel Beats: Reincarnation

Note: This picks up where the anime left off after the end credits of the last episode.

"Yes?" Kanade said looking surprised at the person who grabbed her wrist. "Can I help you with something?" She asked very politely.

"Um…" Yuzuru looked at her. He felt like he saw something in her. Something he hadn't seen in a very long time. Maybe it was her enchanting silverish but mostly white hair. Or maybe her yellow eyes that were as bright as the sun. Then he finally snapped out of it and started to speak. "Well, it's just that, you're so cute. And I can't help thinking that I've seen you before. Hey, you think we could maybe go out to eat and talk a little? Maybe it'll jog my memory of where I've seen you before."

She looked hesitant. "I don't know. I mean this is so sudden and I don't usually trust strangers."

"C'mon." he said with excitement. "I'll by ya whatever you like to eat." So she thought about it for about half a second and then agreed.

They walked down to the family restaurant about halfway down the street and started eating at around six o'clock pm. Yuzuru just ordered a bowl of chicken-flavored ramen, and Kanade ordered the Mapo Tofu; no rice.

"How can you eat that stuff without any rice? It's so spicy."

"I don't know." She said "I guess I don't really focus on the spiciness. I just focus on the flavor." Her expressionless face turned to sadness.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I really meant nothing by it."

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that eating this Mapo Tofu brings back memories of my mother, that's all. You see, she died when I was only six years old and we used to eat Mapo Tofu right after gardening. But when she died my father started drinking and gambling to ease the pain of the loss." She bowed her head and started crying. "I hate you papa." She whispered to herself.

"Hey, don't you think you're being a bit harsh by saying that. I mean sure he needs help but-" Yuzuru was cut off by Kanade's soft and gentle voice.

"If it was just his drinking and gambling problems I wouldn't mind getting him the help that he needs. But it's what he did with those problems that made me hate him."

"Okay I'll bite, what'd he do?"

"Well I'm not sure if I'm comfortable telling you this since I just met you, but I brought it up so I guess I have to. One time when he was out at his friend's gambling, it was late and he was running out of money. As usual he was drunk and desperate to win so," she took a deep breath and finished her sentence, "so he bet me."

Yuzuru dropped his drink and it splashed on the floor. "What did you just say?" He said in an astonished voice that was almost a whisper.

"He bet me, and lost." Kanade said once again.

"How could he do that? How could someone bet their own daughter? And anyway, what the hell could his friend gain from this?" Yuzuru screamed this so loud that one of the waitresses came over and asked him to quiet down; although I'm not sure why since there was almost no one there since it was nearing closing time.

"His friend has a son that had his eye on me for some time by the time this happened. So my father bet me as a wife for his son that was the same age as me. I don't love him but he signed a contract and it's almost time. I am to wed as soon as I turn eighteen; I am seventeen and a half." She looked up and saw him gritting his teeth and his hands were in fists. Suddenly he took a deep breath, un-gritted his teeth, loosened his hands and stood up.

"Come on." He said and looked at her with a smile. "You're not living at your house anymore. From now on, you'll be staying over at my house." She looked at him for a moment and got tears in her eyes and nodded.

"Okay." She said smiling back at him. She didn't know why, but for some reason she trusted this boy. So they started walking home and began talking again. "That reminds me, I don't even know your name."

He looked at her and smiled, "It's Otonashi, Yuzuru Otonashi; Nice to meet you. Come to think of it I never learned your name either."

"My name is Kanade Tachibana; it is very nice to meet you. So what's your family like now that I've told you about, well; what used to be my family."

"Well they're kinda nuts, but once you get to know them better they're really nice. I have a mother and a father and a sister who's a freshman in high school. Oh let's cut through this alleyway it's a lot quicker." Just then he turned back and saw Kanade staring in pure horror down that pathway. Eyes wide as could be and she was shivering all over and she kept whispering "no" to herself over and over again. "Hey are you ok. C'mon we don't have to take this route. Hey, can ya hear me?" Just then three guys pushed them into the alleyway and they fell on their backs. "Hey, what the hell is your problem man?" Yuzuru yelled.

Suddenly they heard a voice from behind and the three people jumped on Yuzuru and held him down. "Kanade, Kanade, Kanade; how many times have I told you not to hang out with other guys!"

"I-I'm sorry Souske I-AH!" He then back-handed her and she fell to the ground once more. But this time she landed on some trash cans.

"Hey douche bag, what the hell do you think you're doing to her!"

"What am I doing? I'm punishing her of course. She disobeyed me, and now I have to punish her." said Souske with a smile. "Tell me Kanade, does this place bring back memories of our first 'romantic encounter'." Kanade looked at him crying but not making a sound.

"Wait are you saying that you-" Yuzuru looked at him with shock and hatred.

"Oh, what, she didn't tell you hotshot. Oh yeah, this was the first place I made her spread her legs in. And boy did this bitch howl." Souske said while chuckling.

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"

"Why, just cus I had to punish her again?"

"What do you mean again?" Yuzuru said angrily.

"The first time this bitch didn't listen to me I had to hit her over the back of the head with one of my dad's beer bottles. Man that thing shattered into a million pieces." Yuzuru had just figured something out but he decided to discuss it with Kanade after they were out of this mess. "Tell me, what is this kid to you Kanade?"

Kanade looked at Yuzuru then back at Souske, "He's…he's just a friend. Nothing more."

"Well then," Souske said standing up two trash cans beside each other, "let's show your 'friend' here exactly how loud you can scream." Souske pulled a switchblade out of his front pocket and tore the dress Kanade was wearing right down the middle. He then picked up Kanade by the wrist and said, "C'mon, get over here you whore!"

"She's not a whore! Stop it! Kanade, don't make eye contact! Don't scream! Don't give him any sense of power! Unh!" Souske kicked Yuzuru in the stomach.

"I think I'm gonna enjoy this more than usual." Souske said with a grin.

"No you're not!" said a voice as one of Souske's henchmen hit the ground in pain. "So you like picking on innocent girls, huh? Why don't you try pick on me." It was Shino! They could all see the bloodlust in her eyes so Souske and his guys backed off. After all, he may have had a switchblade, but she had a katana; and she knew how to use it.

"What's your name kid?" as Souske pointed to Yuzuru.

"No, don't tell him!" Kanade burst out.

"Name's Yuzuru Otonashi. And if you ever lay a finger on anyone I care for again; you're dead."

"We'll see." Souske said as him and his three stooges walked away. Yuzuru ran over to Kanade and held her.

"Are you alright Kanade?"

"No, don't," she stopped and her face turned red as her eyes filled with tears, "don't look at me. I don't deserve friends. I'm too weak and I, I," Yuzuru hugged Kanade and whispered to her.

"Kanade, don't do this to yourself. You're not alone anymore. I'm here. I'm your shoulder to lean on. Let me help ease the pain." He then took off his shirt and covered her up. She passed out and he started to carry her in his arms. "Thank you. We are in your debt." He said to Shino.

"Let me escort you two back to your house." She said.

"Thank you." They got to the house and Yuzuru's little sister was asleep. Who could blame her it was going on eleven o'clock. So When Kanade finally woke he got the bath ready for her and she eased in to it. Yuzuru was sitting outside the bathroom door and he started talking. "I'm sorry." He said.

"Why are you sorry?" she said back confused.

"Because I couldn't protect you. That jerk was about to have his way with you and I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"You couldn't help it. It was four against one." They both sat there for a moment and he finally started speaking again.

"I know why you don't order rice with your Mapo Tofu. It's because that's the exact way you ate it with your mother."

She paused, "No, I told you the reason. It's because I don't mind the spiciness."

"It's not that you don't mind it," Yuzuru said with a frown, "it's that you can't taste it. You lost your sense of taste didn't you Kanade. It was when that asshole hit you with that beer bottle wasn't it." He heard her start to cry and said one last thing to her. "I'm sorry…he took away the only memory you had of your mother Kanade."

"There's…there's one more I'll never forget. That he could never take away from me no matter how hard he tried."

"What's that?" Yuzuru asked.

"My mother used to say that I was…her little Angel…"