Hello, this is Amari desu! I haven't really looked around so I don't know if there are many stories like this, but I was so so so super hyped to write this I went ahead and wrote it and then posted...anyway, if you didn't read the summary, this is the story of the Programmer, my OC. I know there's a theory floating out there that Otonashi was the Programmer, but not only did that make zero sense to me, I had no clue how to incorporate it, plus I only heard it after starting this - anyway, just screw that theory. I have my OCs for this entire story. It's just the setting and description of the Afterlife that doesn't belong to me. And some other plotpoints. But anyway, anyway, anyway, thanks for reading and please enjoy~

Oh, oh, right...forgot one important point. For this story, it'll either be the beginning of the Afterlife or it'll be one where no one else is around. Either way, there's no guide. You'll figure it out.

~Amari


Chapter 1: Amnesia

When I first opened my eyes, I saw the sky.

It was nighttime, and yet the sky was clear—the moon and the stars were all easily spotted, and there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

This isn't Tokyo.

I came to this realization immediately as I sat up abruptly, looking around.

Then, where is this?

A school. A school courtyard, to be precise. I didn't know which school it was. It was a majestic school, like a private school, almost. The concrete felt cool to my touch, and there wasn't anything wrong with my body.

Then why am I sleeping on the floor? What am I doing outside? Did I get kidnapped or something? No, that makes no sense. Wait a sec, is there something wrong with my memory…?

I placed my hand to my head as I thought this, a wave of panic washing over me.

I can't remember…

No, calm down. Think. First step of computer programming is…Setting up software bases…Game winning strategies…Computer setup procedures…Basic algebra…Calc…Web designing…My name…my name…my name

All of a sudden, I felt strangely irritated as I came to a sudden conclusion.

This isn't normal amnesia. Why the hell is it that I can remember every piece of knowledge I've acquired but nothing about my personal life?

I sighed as I pulled myself to my feet and dusted myself off. It seems I was still in my regular black sweats and jacket. Or wait, was that what I always wore? Must be, right?

I give up on trying to remember.

I started walking towards the school building, moving with a lack of caution and fear. I mean, it's just a school. Nothing's going to happen, anyway. I was never afraid of ghost stories to begin with.

"For starters, I should check out what's around here…"

My voice came out more clearly than I expected. After that long nap, I had assumed that it would be like a raspy old man's—or at least crack once.

That's kinda creepy…Wait a sec, when did I even start talking to myself? I'm definitely going nuts.

Anyway, I think I'm overthinking this. It's just another school, that's all. I should get the name of this school and do a background search…Okay, first off, where the heck is the computer lab?

I passed through hallway after hallway, checking the classroom tags as I went. They were dark and vacated, with only the light of the moon occasionally coming through the window. I finally found it on the second floor, but I still didn't know the name of the school.

"Sheesh, what kind of research can I do if I don't even have the name of the school…?" I sighed but entered the room without bothering to flip on the lights. The windows were on the other side of the room, and it was dark, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. I pulled a chair back and plopped down, crossing my legs comfortably and powering on the computer.

I get the feeling that I do this a lot…

Watching the loading symbol appear on the screen that lit up, I went through a mental list of things I should search up.

First off, the date and year. I don't want this to be like some kind of fairytale where I slept for fifty years straight. And after that, whatever's trending on the web. Might cue me in to what kind of place this is. I've done enough walking for now, so I'll search for the school's name later. Uh…I guess I should come up with my name while I'm at it…

Deciding on this, I leaned back against the chair and thought. "Name…So…Sora? Sora…Yeah, I think that's it. We'll go with that—"

I groaned. What good is it gonna be if I only know my given name? This sucks. Besides, I doubt I'd be famous enough to have my name come up with just one Internet search, anyway.

I clicked through the home page—

"Where the hell is the date on here?! This computer makes no sense! At least they have the time. Well, whatever—wait, there isn't even a single web page?! No Internet?! You have seriously gotta be kidding me!"

I sighed and closed out of the computer, powering it off.

There aren't any extra softwares or games, only those for learning. Boring. Maybe I'll install one later, since I seem to know how to. Yeah. But I'm tired, so not now. I should find somewhere decent to sleep for tonight and think more about it tomorrow morning. I'll just sleep in the school since I'm too lazy to go search for housing…

I wandered the school aimlessly, considering all the choices.

Sleeping in a classroom is just awkward. I don't like classrooms to begin with. There's nothing to sleep on in a computer lab. The infirmary smells like medicine.

I opened the door, paused, and closed it.

Or, at least, it's supposed to. Still, it reminds me too much of a hospital. Waking up there is gonna ruin all of my sleep. The cafeteria is way too open. Counseling offices…faculty office…too uncomfortable.

And thus, I came to the top floor with no success in the process.

They're all just classroomsHmm?

I looked up at the sign of the last classroom in the hallway.

"Principal's office, huh?"

I pulled open the door. It was a small room with a table in the middle, a desk near the back and a chair behind it, along with a few couches—

Sure, why not. Let's do that.

=The Next Morning=

This time, I woke up to sunshine on my face. I winced and sat up, instinctively pulling the hood of my jacket over my eyes to block the sunlight out. Knowing that this was a futile, stupid act, I pushed it back again and reluctantly stood up, allowing myself to get used to the sunlight.

I had slept on the three-cushion couch for the night, and luckily, my frame was small enough so that it wasn't uncomfortable—

Hang on a sec, there's nothing good about being short. I guess I'm not that short, though….just shorter than average

"Whatever."

In the end, after a short internal conflict, I decided it didn't matter.

I hate the sunlight…

I walked over to the large window reluctantly, still wincing painfully, and peered outside. The sun was high in the air, and the courtyards were illuminated but empty. But of course, given the approximate calculation of the sun, it was around ten o'clock in the morning—Why the hell do I know that?—and they would all be in class—

So where the hell is the damn principal?!

I kicked the office chair in irritation, and it slid all the way across the room. I sighed once to release all of my anger before heading back across the room and exiting the room, into the hallway. As I passed the classroom, I noticed that the classes were all filled with teachers and students dressed in the same, tan uniform. I glanced down at the sweats that I wore and frowned.

I stand out in this, don't I…For now, I should start by finding a spare uniform. That'll make me look less suspicious around here

"Oh, are you the new student?"

"Huh?"

I blinked twice and looked up. An adult—no wait, a teacher—was smiling kindly at me, wearing a full suit and tie.

Where exactly did he come to that conclusion…?

I went along with it.

"Yes—"

"All right, this will be your class schedule and room." I was handed a piece of paper. "Your uniform will be in the closet on the third floor. It's directly to your left once you go up the stairs. I look forward to having you."

And then he left.

What the hell?

I checked the paper. It didn't even have my name on it, just a few typed notes. Class 2-A, list of classes attending—

Screw this.

I ripped the paper in half and tossed it over my shoulder as I headed towards the stairs. Like I wanna attend school….I don't even know why I'm here in the first place. Finding out should be my first priority, I suppose.

I came upon the closet he told me about and pulled open the door. Sure enough, there were a couple sets of extra uniforms for both girls and boys inside.

"I guess this one looks my size…"

After examining them all, I picked one up from the clothes rack and put it on. I made a face at the unfamiliarity of the rough fabric and the thought of being forced to toss my comfy sweats out, but I guess there wasn't a choice.

I should go talk to some people for information.

Even as I thought this, I cringed to myself.

Talking to people is a pain. Attending class is a pain. Wearing this is a pain. This entire scenario is a pain.

So, in the end, I changed back and spent the rest of the morning in the computer lab making different software applications (even though almost all of them failed due to the computer's lack of cooperation).

=Lunch time=

I really didn't want to go all the way down to the cafeteria for lunch, so I didn't. It was too bad that I didn't live in an age of androids and robots. Maybe then I would've eaten something. But I wasn't hungry, so I didn't mind skipping.

But either way, I guess I should take a short break.

I shut off the computer and headed down the hallway towards the large cafeteria. Some students gave me weird looks on the way, but none of them asked (which I was grateful about).

I made my way to the rooftop (as there were other people in the courtyard and it was pretty close) for some fresh air and a piece of mind so I could think.

This isn't Tokyo. This might not even be Earth. Where is this? I only know up to the fact that it's a school….how utterly useless.

"….Ah?"

The fence I had just leaned against suddenly snapped in two places and I felt my back hit air. Within moments, I was falling from the roof of the school.

Oh, crap.

The fence must have been broken. I didn't even have time to make one of those dramatic flashback moments—more like, I couldn't in the first place.

If I die here without figuring anything out, that's not even pitiable. It's laughable.

Too late for that.

Splat.


Thanks for reading! This is the first chapter of Angel Beats: The Beginning! Updates will be random. I write when I get inspiration (and only then). I hope you liked it~ These first few chapters are pretty monologue-ish, since it's just Sora by himself, and I'm trying to go through the explanations of the Afterlife rather quickly since that's boring. But not only that, the anime made the Programmer out to be a pretty genius-like person so...sorry if this is like OOC ish (btw, what does that even mean~?)!

I'm trying to keep the chapters more or less short for this story...six or seven pages...I think...is that all right? A normal length maybe?

Oh, I love reviews! If you don't like this, I don't mind if you say so, just don't tell me "I hate this stop writing" and be all mean without telling me why, okay? Please tell me what you think! Reviews fuel my writing! I hope you liked it and continue reading! :)

~Amari