A/N: This is my first attempt at writing any sort of narrative with the intent of public consumption fanfiction or otherwise. Any sort of review or critique will be very appreciated I do not own Angel Beats! or the picture I used for the cover rights belong to KEY and SubaruSumeragi of

Those are words that used to keep me going. I realized too late that she was my reason for living.

I found my new drive while walking down the street. I saw a little girl that was just discharged and from that moment, I knew I had to help as many people as I can in my life.

I studied hard from then on out. I ended up deciding that, yes; I want to be a doctor, any kind of doctor, so that I can help as many people as I can. No one will have to be stuck in a bed until death like Hatsune.

Yes, a train crash did delay my taking my taking the entrance exam. That didn't stop me though. I decided to take the entrance exam the following year and I was able to take my first step at becoming a doctor.

At the university, I met a guy named Hinata Hideki, a baseball player apparently. We really hit it off, no pun intended. There was something odd about him though. For a while I felt like he was coming on to me.

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw a short pink-haired girl holding Hinata-san in what looks like some sort of wrestling hold.

"What's this about?" I asked

They completely ignored me and kept at their game; if you could call it that.

Just then, a girl with magenta colored hair tapped me on the shoulder.

"They're always like that" she apparently heard my question and took it upon herself to answer. "When you say two people can't keep their hands off of each other you don't normally mean it in this way"

"Oh, so they're a couple"

"Yep" the girl answered. "Are you disappointed?"

"No, quite the opposite really"

"What?"

"I thought for a minute there that Hinata-san was coming on to me" I answered "It's good to know that he has a girlfriend"

"I don't know if it's in the way he talks but he gives most guys he meets that feeling"

At that word she turned and walked in the opposite direction. She then started backtracking and went back to talk to me.

"I forgot to introduce myself" she said "I'm Nakamura Yuri; Hinata over there calls me Yurippe. He says he feels weird calling me Yuri because that's his mother's name"

"Otonashi Yuzuru"

At that, she actually did leave.

"I see you met Yurippe" Hinata-san came up to me "I would also like to introduce to you, Yui"

At the mention of her name the pink-haired girl started shaking my hand vigorously.

"We met when I broke her window with a baseball and it ended up hitting her on the head" Hinata-san continued "Luckily she wasn't injured and we became fast friends"

I have to admit; I didn't believe that story. It sounds like the kind of thing that you only encounter in fiction.

One day, on the way to school, I walked by a silver-haired in a ponytail girl humming a tune I never heard before.

I don't know why I ran after her when she walked the other way. I don't know why I tapped her on the shoulder. I don't know why I decided to introduce myself.

"Hello, I'm Otonashi Yuzuru"

She looked up at me and she introduced herself.

"Tachibana Kanade"

I have to admit, that went smoother than I thought it would. I thought she would be either looking at me weirdly or run away. She just gave me her name.

Was it the tune she was humming? I didn't recognize anything about Tachibana-san but I felt the need to talk to her.

I found out that she studies music in the university that I go to. As a result, we ended up walking to school together. We even started calling each other by first name after a few weeks strangely enough.

Igarashi, another one of the survivors from that train crash, apparently works at a café nearby the university and he actually thought me and Kanade were a couple.

I might actually prove him right on that.

I invited Kanade to dinner at my house to tell her how I feel.

"You'll find out"

I hate this stuff I thought to myself as I finished up adding the chilies to the bean-curd from hell.

"I was meaning to ask you" I said "What was that tune you were humming? You know the day we met each other"

"My Song" her reply piqued my interest "It's a song that a friend of mine wrote"

"Their name being?"

"Masami Iwasawa. She isn't a professional yet but she's really good"

On that note I noticed that our food is ready

"What?" she said as I set down the plates of Szechuan Tofu I made for both of us. "You hate Szechuan Tofu. Why would you make it for both of us?"

"In hindsight I could've prepared something we both like but I know this stuff is your favorite"

We both took our first bites and I was already sweating. Why did that girl have to like spicy foods so much? We ate in silence until she ate all of the tofu and I drank all of the milk.

"Why did you really ask me to go here?" Kanade said breaking the silence. "Why did you make Szechuan Tofu? I admit I like it but I would've gladly eaten anything else"

"The tofu wasn't the point of me asking you to come here"

She tilted her head at me silently demanding an explanation.

"I wanted to tell you that I love you"

She just smiled at me as if she already knew.

"You just asked me to go to your house and we had a meal that you absolutely hate. Not even mentioning how we met; may I remind you that you essentially ran after me for no reason and gave me your name? If you didn't ask me out at this point, I would've questioned why we were friends"

That was the most directly I've ever heard Kanade speak.

The courtyard of the Afterlife school is bathed in the golden glow of the sunset.

I wished that our lives went like that. Kanade disappeared and I am left alone in the afterlife. I will probably never meet her again.

At that thought I left myself to my weeping.

A/N: I admit, I can't write romance. Any pointers at all will help me a lot. Please review for my (eventual) improvement.