I do not own Angel Beats or any of the Characters Within. Please Review!
Yui's mother came into the room with a large bowl of warm, steamy, tantalizing rice. There was a bowl of miso soup, a grilled fish and tamagoyaki as well. She sat down next to Yui and touched her face lightly to wake her.
Yui woke slowly. Her crimson eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled at her mother. "Good Morning!" she greeted her.
"Good Morning, honey. How are you feeling?"
"Fine! Breakfast looks great!"
Her mother smiled. She scooped a little rice and began to feed Yui. She gladly accepted the food and relished each morsel with great appreciation. Soon her mother spooned the last of the miso into Yui's mouth. "Thanks Okasan!"
Her mother nodded and picked the tray up from her bedside. She took the remote and turned on the TV. "Is this channel okay, Yui-chan?"
"Of course!" She smiled brightly at her mother.
Her mother smiled at her reaction. She left to do some chores and go to work.
Yui still sat with the smile on her face. Her pink eyes filled with a large burdening sadness. A few tears managed to escape her eyes. She quickly sniffed and left the tear to run down her face and land in her lap.
She hated burdening her mother. All she could do was apologize all the time. She could supply her with happiness, but how far can that take anyone? How long will she have to live like this? Surely not forever. God couldn't be that cruel.
The ball was hurtling at him at an alarming rate. He stood fearless against it. He strengthened his stance. He built up a swing and finally unleashed it onto the ball.
"Home Run!" The coach shouted much to Hinata and his team's delight. They crowded around him. They pat him on the back. The coach waddled up to him and smiled, "Just like that for the games, and we're a shoe-in to win!"
"Thanks Kōchi!" Hinata smiled at his coach and started to pack up his things.
But Hinata was far from done. He was headed over to one of his favorite empty sandlots to play baseball.
He asked a few friends to come throw the ball to help him practice.
"This is so stupid..." Shiina sighed as she crosses her arms and leaned against the fence of the old sandlot.
"Here," Kanade held out a small toy cat. "If you wind it on the bottom, it rolls. You can play with it."
"That's stupid." Shiina blushed taking the small toy.
Matsushita stood in the outfields prepared to catch anything that would come his way. Noda stood on the base line. Otonashi smiled at Kanade then looked at Hinata. "You ready?"
"Sure," Hinata set up his stance. Otonashi threw the pitch. Hinata slowly eased his weight into the swing. The crack told him that it was out of there. Way out of there. Maybe Hinata put too much into the pitch.
"Wow. Way to go Hinata!" Otonashi cheered. A few of the others clapped and gave a few woots while Hinata's face grew more and more wary. He slowly dropped his bat and headed off in the direction of the ball. "Where are you-?"
Otonashi's thoughts were cut off by the sound of shattering glass.
"Shit!" Hinata shouted as he raced toward the sound of the crash.
A look fell over Otonashi, Kanade saw this and began to walk toward him,"What's wrong? Aren't you going with him?"
Otonashi shook his head, "Today might be the day he remembers," Otonashi turned and started to pack up the equipment.
Kanade helped. When they finished she smiled. "Let's go." she lifted herself onto her tiptoes to give him a small peck on the cheek.
He grabbed her by the waist pushing her lips onto his own then strengthened the kiss, "Mhmm."
Yui's thoughts were interrupted by an ungodly shattering sound. "Yui-chan?" Her mother shouted up the stairs. Yui looked down into her lap to find an old dusty baseball. She noticed a few cuts on her hands. A little bit of blood was drawn from the wounds. Some glass lay across her lap as well.
"It's okay, Okasan!" Yui called. "Someone threw a baseball through the window."
Yui heard a thud and loud footsteps as her mother burst into the room. She quickly ran to her daughter and pulled her hands up to her own. Yui's mom dashed to the bed side table and grabbed some bandages to wrap the few cuts. Yui smiled at her mother and thanked her silently.
He stood at the door. A black cloud of guilt loomed over his head. What am I going to do? I can't afford to buy a new window. Shit. Why? He stood a few moments before finally ringing the doorbell. He hoped that no one was home, but that would be way too fortunate.
The short pink haired woman reminded him of someone, but he couldn't but his finger on who. "Hello?" she looked him up and down. She smiled. "Come on in and retrieve your ball."
His face displayed shock and disbelief at he same time as he walked in at removed his cleats. He pulled on a pair of slippers as he headed up the stairs. He ducked into the room, bowing to the woman who left.
Yui and Hinata looked at each other. "Hey! Who do you think you are breaking my window and making trouble?"
Hinata blushed a little while she was yelling at him. He scratched his head, "S-sorry, l-let me help you clean that up." He walked over to her and brushed the glass into a small trash bin. He felt her legs under the covers. His blush deepened. He looked up at her. "Sorry, again."
She sighed, "Some people are just so stupid." she rolled her eyes.
"I'm not that stupid." he said defensively as he looked her in her crimson eyes.
They were interrupted as Yui's mother came into the room. "I brought cookies and tea!"
Yui smiled warmly at her mother, "Thank you Okasan!"
She sat the cookies on Yui's lap. She turned to Hinata and smiled. She returned to Yui, "Do you need me to-?"
Yui interrupted her, "No, no, I'm fine, Okasan."
She smiled and began to leave, "Thanks, Obasan." Hinata smiled. She returned the smile warmly and left. "You are so nice to your mom."
She nodded while making a positive sound. "She's done everything for me for my entire life."
He nodded as he picked up a cookie. He ate one. "Wow! These are super delicious!"
"I love my mom's cookies, can you feed me one?" Yui opened her mouth making an ahh noise.
Hinata's face turned a bright red, "Baka! Why would I feed you?"
She paused, "Baka, I'm a paraplegic."
A cloud passed over the sun. Hinata looked at Yui, her face had become serious. He slightly opened his mouth to say something, but silence followed. Instead of mentioning anything, he just picked up a cookie and pushed it toward her lips. His blush turned brighter as he whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Not like I can do anything about-"
"I should have known," he frowned. She looked at him. He was the first who hadn't apologized for 'her loss'. He was sorry that he hadn't realized. She smiled. She opened her mouth and greeted the cookie graciously. He placed it in her mouth.
They spent a few minutes speaking to each other. "I feel like I know you from somewhere. I can't put my finger on it though."
Yui nodded, "I completely agree. Sometimes, I have dreams about when I can walk. Sometimes, they seem so real."
He smiled, "I couldn't imagine. I've based my entire life around playing baseball. And well, walking is a big part of that."
They laughed, "It's a big part of everything."
Yui's mother walked into the room. "Hey guys. I decided that I should wash Yui-Chan's sheets." Hinata nodded. "Here," she pushed Yui's wheelchair toward him, "Take Yui for a walk."
"Okay," He stood and moved toward the chair. He grabbed Yui's arm to help her get into the chair, his eyes closed as a vision fell upon him.
"I'll marry you."
"Hinata?" Otonashi turned to Hinata as he entered the baseball field.
"I'll marry you..." He crossed the plate to walk over to Yui, "I'm serious. I mean it Yui."
"But you wouldn't, I mean you don't know the real me, do you?" Yui avoided Hinata's eyes.
"No matter what you were like or what you did in your previous life, I'd still marry you today. No matter what type of terrible physical handicap you had"
"You know I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand!" she offered.
"I said no matter the handicap!" Hinata was yelling at this point, "Even if you couldn't stand and walk, even if you couldn't have kids! Even so! I'd still marry you. I would, I want to be with you forever and ever. The Yui I met here wasn't a fake. You're Yui, no matter where we met I would have fallen in love with you. Even if it's 1 in a 6 billion chance we'd meet, even if you were already paralyzed when we met; I'd marry you, and I'd make you the happiest woman alive. If only you say yes."
She let a strangled laugh escape her lips, "You would've never meet me, I was bedridden at home you know." She added a shrug.
"I'd be playing baseball. One day I'd send a ball flying straight in your window. When I go to retrieve it, you'd be there. That's how we'd meet. We'd start talking and have so much fun, I'd start visiting you every day. I'd start taking care of you, how's that sound?"
"Good. So when that happens, my mom would be there for me, taking care of me all on her own with no help. Could you lighten her load?"
"Count on it."
"I'm so glad,"
He looked her straight in the eyes. He hoisted her up and placed her gently in the wheelchair. It took him every ounce of self control not to reach down and kiss. Not to cry into her shoulder, not to love her right there at that moment. And to think, that's why Otonashi hadn't come with him.
Yui's eyes began to tear up. She tried to avoid her mother's gaze. She had to stop herself from flat out bawling. How could she explain it to her mother without her sending them both off to a mental institution instantaneously.
"Good-bye Obasan."
"Good bye Okasan."
"Good-bye Yui, So long Hinata."
Hinata and Yui left in a flash to talk about everything, their past, the present. The future.
Yui's mom was left to herself. She folded the blanket trying not to get any left over glass anywhere. "Thank you," she smiled toward the ceiling with a feeling of satisfaction.