Escaping Reality
By moonlight ray
Disclaimer: I don't own Angel Beats. If I did, I would've made it much longer than just 13 episodes.
[A/N: I really feel that I can relate to Iwasawa in the aspect of having constantly fighting parents, and I'm sure there are many people out there who feel the same. This is just a short one-shot for all of those people, to capture that brief moment of escape from the war scene, whatever your means of escape will be. Don't lose hope; like Otonashi said, life is worth living.]
They were at it again. Iwasawa knew that the loud yelling and sudden smashing of glass could only mean one thing—her parents had struck up another argument. With it came tension and hatred that filled their entire apartment, penetrating the red-haired youth's former peaceful state of mind.
Iwasawa had long ago learned not to listen to their words anymore, for it was too painful to hear the nasty insults hurled between them. It was easier to relegate their speech to muted noises, foreign sounds that couldn't hurt her ears or her heart. She didn't want to believe it was real, how imminent her parents' divorce would be.
Iwasawa huddled in her dark corner, hugging her knees to her chest, desperate to drown out the reality around her. Her guitar. The moment it occurred to her, she felt immense relief. Music would be her escape. Through a few strummed chords and hummed notes, it would become her refuge from the harsh reality that was life.
She felt around in the shadows for where she had stashed away her hidden treasure. Feeling the instrument case, she reached for it. Tenderly, she took it out and began to play loud enough so only she could hear. Slowly, her conscious shifted. She was no longer in that dark, stuffy apartment filled with hurt and despair. No, she was in a world of her own making, a world constructed through her music. As she played, she let her mind drift, let her instincts steer her wherever she ought to go.
Iwasawa had no idea how long it was before things quieted down. Setting down her precious guitar, she peered around the corner to see that both her parents had retreated to their favourite rooms—her mother to the bedroom and her father in the living room, watching TV. She sighed gratefully, and replaced the instrument in its case.
One day it would truly set her free. She would leave this house, living off her music, and never have to look back. She would spread her wings and fly, free from all the burdens her parents brought unto her. Then it would be for good. She could escape this harsh reality of her life… forever.