10:30 AM
"I GOT EM!"
A voice yells out from one of the alleyways within the large city of Necropolis. Four other boys suddenly run to the yelling. A purple-haired boy, wearing the typical, light-brown Class SSS blazer is holding a boy on the ground, putting a bag over his entire head and torso area, attempting to keep him from struggling. And a long and shiny halberd pole-arm laid on the ground next to him.
Hinata: (Calling out to his friends) "Guys! I think Noda got him!"
Hinata and three other boys run to the purple-haired boy named Noda. Each of them wearing the same uniforms as one another. One, a skinnier boy - Takamatsu, with dark-blue hair, pushing up his glasses as he ran; another boy - Matsushita the Fifth, with brown hair, a larger-framed and muscular individual, eyes hidden and seemingly closed, also matching the others' clothing, except for his footwear - sporting a pair of wooden getas, tapping the ground loudly as he ran; the last individual - Fujimaki, holding a shirasaya sword remaining sheathed, black hair, eyes halfway open, seemingly angry, with the look of determination.
Each of the boys stop in an alleyway at Noda, who held the weight of his body over the young man he had tackled and bagged from the torso up with a burlap sack.
Fujimaki: "You got 'em, Noda!"
Noda: "Yeah!" (Raising a fist up in excitement) "I can't wait to bring him back to HQ and catch up on the massive shit-beating I've missed out on for the past three years!"
Takamatsu: (Raising glasses) "I don't think that's something you should be saying so casually"
"WHAT?!", the boy in the bag replies in a voice unfamiliar to the boys. Giving a look of sudden skepticism, Hinata looks down at the bagged boy, who sits up on his rear-end, escaping Noda's grasp, kicking the ground, and backing himself against the wall, still having the bag over his head and torso.
Hinata: (Skeptical) "Wait a minute... Are you sure this is him?"
Hinata kneels down and pulls the burlap sack off of the boy, revealing a red-haired boy, noticeable much younger than Otonashi, and much shorter, crying in fear of his life.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE AGAIN!" the young boy cried.
Hinata: (Stands up, yelling at Noda) "You dumbass, that's not Otonashi!"
Noda: (Stands up, yelling back) "Well, coulda fooled me!"
Fujimaki: "Anyone can fool you. You're so brainless, that you actually believed me when I said that Bluetooth was a mouth disease"
Takamatsu: (Pushing up glasses, calm voice) "This is the fifth time we've bagged someone, and it wasn't him"
Matsushita5: "Why not just stop and talk to someone if you might think it's him?"
Hinata: (Throws burlap sack on the ground) "Why do you even have this crap?!"
Noda: (Yelling) "Why the hell not?!"
Hinata: "You idiot! You can't just bag some innocent kid like that! That's kidnapping!"
Noda: "This world sucks! I wanna go back to the other place and fight Angel again!"
Fujimaki: "You're so brainless, that every time you've had a close encounter with Angel, you thought you actually contributed to the fight, when you were always the first to die"
Yuzuru, standing in the doorway of the cafe, waved back to Ben, thanking him, and walks off into the now-less crowded sidewalk. Traffic around is less busy, making the city less painful to listen to. As he walked, he thought to himself. While the disbelief and feeling of denial seemed to have calmed down for him, it was not a matter of where he was, or how he got there, but to take in the endless possibilities this new world would offer him.
Well, I'm here now. No point in fighting it. Nothing I can do about it. I guess I'll just have to make the best of it.
Yuzuru looks up at a clock on a high-rise, reading 10:39 AM. He suddenly changed directions to go left.
Wait, I think I'm supposed to go this way?
He crosses the street, placing his hands in his pockets as he strolled along, passing many stores and parked vehicles along the way. Foot traffic began to grow slightly, but far from impossible to navigate through. He looks down at his shoes as he walked, making his intuition-driven trek aimless. Looking from the corner of his left, he passes a girl, who was leaning against a wall, looking down, humming an almost familiar tune. He pays little mind to her, noticing only long white hair, covering much of her facial features from his own view, in disposition to her and her shorter height. She pulls out a phone and checks on it.
Wait...
Otonashi stops dead in his tracks. Small flashes of memories fill Yuzuru's mind, but just enough not to completely revive the memories he had lost. His eyes widen as the small glimpses of his memories play in his mind, like ruined film, and voices heard in his head all resonate with an acoustic echo.
****Memory sequence****
In a school infirmary, Yuzuru sits, facing a hospital bed, with an almost familiar individual lying within the covers, listening to him.
"Just before I died, I signed myself up as an organ donor. It should've saved someone's life,"His voice echoed in his own head. "I could've given something of myself... That's what I believe anyways"
A hand suddenly reaches and touches his face softly. Yuzuru looks up, his memory still bleak, only seeing the lower half of her face, while her eyes were faded out of tunnel vision range. Yuzuru hears her voice in his flashback; his heart races, "I'm sure this stranger you saved will say thank you all her life... She must appreciate you"
The scenery within his mind changes.
Her voice rang into his head once more, a memory of a girl embracing him, holding her hand over his chest, over his heart, "I came here to tell you... Thank you for all that you've done for me"
Yuzuru replies with lacking certainty, "Wh-What do you mean..."
"My life was extended because of the beautiful, kind heart you gave me," the soft voice echoes within Yuzuru's head. Yuzuru's expression within the memory sequence becomes one of shock and awe, and he continued to hear her voice, "...Even now, your heart is beating here," a pair of small hands covers the breast portion of her tan blazer, signifying the gift of life he had given the girl. "I feel it beating right here in my chest...". Her eyes covered by the fog within his memories maddened Yuzuru, as he began to seemingly feel demanding of his memories to see her face for even just a moment. "...My only regret is that I was unable to thank the person who gave me my youth", she spoke softly as her voice began to falter. "I wanted to express my gratitude", she stops and turns to Yuzuru. "That was my feeling... The lingering feeling that made me wander into this world"
Yuzuru's pupils began to shrink as his eyes increasingly grew as the melancholy feeling the memories had began to induce fueled his despair, while her voice continued to instill inner peace. His emotions began to split into two, as the feeling of peace through inner selflessness, and despair through loneliness, began to conflict.
As the memory sequence began to end in his mind, he sees an image - a girl, seemingly begging to him with her golden eyes and melancholy smile, to allow her to be free, as the burdens that have chained her for so long exist no longer to keep her in bondage to this world. Yuzuru begins to weep, unaccepting of an inevitable loss of love would destroy the very foundation of his spirit, "...Let me believe that-... That life is worth living".
Memory sequence changes once more.
"Where are you going?" a voice calls a soft and calm voice calls out as the tail of Yuzuru's tan blazer had been held as he attempted to leave the classroom, "The test is about to begin"
Yuzuru turns and sees the girl once more. She lets go of the tail of his blazer and he replies with an excuse he could only come up with at such a moment's notice, "Uh-Well-I-I'm getting nervous, so-" He stops and stares into her eyes. Her emotionless face seemed to penetrate his concentration, unable to continue his facade.
"Are you that nervous?" she asks almost concerned.
"N-No not really," he responds quickly
"Relax, it will be okay, uh...", she stops herself, thinking for a moment, attempting to think of his name.
"Oh, I-I'm Otonashi," he says hesitantly, "Actually... I don't know your name either. What is it?" he asks innocently, seemingly calmed by her angelic voice and appearance.
"Who me? I'm Tachibana",
"First name?," he asks again innocently.
"My first name?..." In the moment of the sequence of images and voices of his own and the unknown girl, he begs his mind to give him the name of the girl. As though the name began to ring in his head, he couldn't understand the reply. It rang in his mind multiple times, clear and concise, but seemingly unable to muster the energy to repeat the name for him to understand, though it echoed in his head continuously, "It's K4#ad3" - repeating in his head over and over, as though the voice spoke to him; clear and concise, and yet incomprehensible, until -
****End memory sequence****
Yuzuru stood, motionless, freed from a moment of an eternal paralysis, his eyes widened and his trembled body calming. He says the name to himself.
Yuzuru: (Whispering to himself) "Kanade..."
Quickly realizing the given opportunity, Yuzuru turns to see the girl with white hair pushing lightly off of the wall as she put her phone away into her pocket. She begins to walk off. Yuzuru's feet felt cemented into the ground as he tried to move. Finally freeing himself from his fear, he begins to gravitate towards her, reaching out his arm to tap her left shoulder, feeling as though she was moving further away as he walked forward. With every fiber of his spirit desiring nothing more than to grab her attention somehow, outside forces of the universe pull him back. His vision begins to whiten, knowing he's just needs to go forward just a few more steps. Suddenly, vision failing, white turns to black, his tunnel-vision collapses, and consciousness fades.
Lying against a corner in a center-lit room, where a small hanging lamp illuminates very dimly, Yuzuru awakens to the sound of his own voice. Staring at him from the other portion of the room, and shrouded in the darkness the dim lamp was unable to reach, stood another boy.
"You're awake now, I see," his own voice calls out from the figure standing across from him. "You're tired, that's okay. You don't have to talk or move. I'm not going to hurt you"
Yuzuru looks up, unable to see the face of his captor.
Yuzuru: (Regaining strength) "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the creator of everything you are", he responds to Yuzuru in a cryptic manner, "In a way, I guess you could call me God"
Yuzuru: (Trying to keep composure, attempts to stand. Attempts to make a joke towards his captor) "I guess you don't know the people I've met that keep wanting to call themselves God. Get in line"
"Anyone who has any sort of leg-up or power in life and death will always say that they're God. Admittedly, it would be deserving, until someone else comes along to dethrone them to take such a title" he replies, confusing Yuzuru.
Yuzuru: "If you are truly God, then there is nothing else you can take from me that would hurt me any further"
The figure gives off a lighthearted chuckle, "I kind of like how you think that I want to cause you pain. I've suffered for a long time. I've spent years upon years trying to figure out how I could get back the very thing that was lost. As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain that you also lost something very important to you, haven't you?"
The ominous figure with Yuzuru's voice grows slightly closer, moving around the light, and his face still unable to be seen.
Yuzuru: "What the hell do you know? You know absolutely nothing about me!"
"I beg to differ, Yuzuru Otonashi," he says ominously. Yuzuru backs up against the wall. Having felt the unfamiliar sensation of fear. "I can tell you're a little nervous, perhaps scared. I know who you are, remember? I'm God"
Yuzuru: "What do you want from me? We're all immortal here! What could you possibly...-"
The figure chuckles. Goosebumps begin forming on Yuzuru's arms, and the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand. He was backed into the corner as the dark figure began to draw himself closer to him. "I want the same thing you, Yuzuru Otonashi"
Yuzuru: (Sarcastic) "You know my name. Good for you. If you say it too much, you might wear it out"
"Angel it is, right?" he says. Yuzuru is suddenly bombarded with fear, anger, sadness, and love all once. "Kanade Tachibana was one of the people you were fairly close to, as well as Yuri Nakamura and Hideki Hinata," as he finished listing a few names of former friends, Yuzuru began to grit his teeth, fighting the sudden desire for his body to go limp and break down. "I'm sorry for everything that you've gone though. Truly, I am. I'm not a cruel person. You don't need to worry about me hurting you"
Yuzuru: (Angry) "Then why are you bringing up irrelevant shit?"
"What is it that you desire most, Yuzuru?"
Yuzuru: "If you already have my life story, then why the hell should I need to tell you?"
"Curses. You saw right through my plan," he jokes sarcastically with Yuzuru, who glared at the figure who seemed to have the same voice as him.
Yuzuru: "How do you know all of this?"
The dark figure slowly begins to walk closer to Yuzuru. Yuzuru tries backing up, feeling as though he wanted to just melt into the wall to get away from this man. All he could feel was fear. He slides slowly back, until he finally was in a corner, hands feeling the cold walls behind him, with nowhere to go. The figure of the man moves even closer, within an arms reach. "Wanna know how I know everything?"
Yuzuru: (Yelling) "Who the hell are you?!"
With the loudest racketing of vocals the figure could muster, he belts out loudly two words, as he finally revealed his true face to Yuzuru, "I'M YOU!" Yuzuru screamed in fear, as the figure's face came within clear view, and as though he were looking into a mirror in the dark, his own face appears before his very eyes, smiling evily, and Yuzuru's vision, once again, fades to black.
Yuzuru's upper body jerked upward, screaming loudly in fear, pushing his arms forward as he awoke from his nightmare, sitting in a bed within a dark room. Yuzuru jumps to his feet, breathing heavily and sweating. His feet hit the carpeted floor and he backs up quickly, frightened, hitting his back on a hard object behind him, it thumps loudly against a wall, as contents atop what felt like a nightstand topple over. A light switch at the front of the room is turned on by another individual, and the room is suddenly illuminated. Yuzuru looks straight ahead. His heart skips, his body becomes numb, and years of heavy emotion suddenly lift from his body. Fear quickly begins to vacate his mind, as an overwhelming sense of confusion and emotion begin to engulf his hazed mind. Yuzuru falls to his knees, and his eyes grow and begin to shed tears, staring at the creator of his bliss and pain.
Yuzuru: (In absolute shock) "I-I can't believe it..."
As tears begin to quickly trail down his face, a dash is made towards Yuzuru by another individual in the same room. A shining white shroud suddenly skips across the short distance, tackling Yuzuru, whose back hits the nightstand in a painful bliss as a pair of short arms wrap around him. Yuzuru begins to weep, as the other individual grips tightly on Yuzurul. Her head rested on his chest, with the tips of her white hair touching the ground, both hold one another, as they both remain on their knees.
Yuzuru: (Weeping, still in absolute shock) "I-... It's you... I can't... This is a dream... I-... Kanade..."
She grips him tightly, her head pressing against his chest as though she were trying to merge with him.
Kanade: (Voice faltering) "I'm sorry, Yuzuru..." (Nearly weeping) "I'm so sorry for everything"
Kanade's voice falters heavily as she tries to form her words to Yuzuru, both as shocked as one another. Numbness spreads throughout Yuzuru's body, killing every strand of pain like a fast-spreading virus. He quickly grabs her by the shoulders, pushing her off slightly for a moment, just to prove to himself the moment was real. His tear-ridden eyes distorting his view, but is able to make out a pair of sad, yet happy, golden eyes. Kanade brings her right arm sleeve up to his face, wiping his tears onto the brown cuffs of her tan blazer. His vision normalizes, as he stares into her glowing and reddened face and glossed, golden eyes.
Kanade: (Smiling, while trying to keep composure, speaking softly) "There, can you see better now?"
Yuzuru: (Sniffling, halts his weeping, joking about her cuffs and her wrist) "Hey, watch it, I don't know if those things might still be armed"
Kanade smiles at the guard skill joke, and they embrace each other once more. Kanade places a hand on Yuzuru's chest.
Kanade: "It's exactly as I remember. Your heart..."
As they embrace one another, a heavy set of fast footsteps grow closer and louder from outside of the room. Suddenly, a loud and heavy slashing sound startles Yuzuru, holding Kanade even tighter. He watches the door, as it falls, slashed in four pieces. Noda suddenly yells out.
Noda: (Yelling) "What's going on here?! Who screamed?!"
Yuri and Hinata both follow behind Noda, wielding pistols, all barging into the room. Hinata and Yuri both stare at Yuzuru, both their mouths wide open in shock. Noda, distracted by his own bloodthirsty bout suddenly looks down and notices Yuzuru holding Kanade. "OTONASHI!" both Hinata and Yuri yell loudly. Hinata quickly jumps at Yuzuru, embracing him and Kanade. Yuzuru is overwhelmed in happiness and a lack of oxygen, from the tight squeezing from his old friend. Yuri stands at the doorway, crossing her arms and smiling. Noda watches, and then smiles at Yuzuru, lowering his halberd down from a readied stance.
Yuzuru: (Struggling to breathe) "You're squeezing me. C-Can't... Breathe"
Yuri: (To herself) "You're finally home now"
Noda: (Jokingly) "I guess I'll pass on this orgy-fest. I'll kick your ass later, Otonashi"
Noda leaves the room, smiling. Hinata continues to hold onto them tightly, ignoring Yuzuru's plead for air.
Hinata: (Hysterical, holding tightly onto both Yuzuru and Kanade) "My buddy Otonashi is back! I can't believe it! We missed you so much!"
Hinata stops for a moment, looking at both Yuzuru and Kanade, who were originally embracing one another before he, Yuri, and Noda interrupted their moment. He quickly stands, rubbing the back of his neck innocently, giving the couple some space.
Hinata: (Innocently) "Oh, sorry about that! I guess I was just excited is all! It's not everyday that we get to be the welcome party for a friend that we haven't heard from in three years"
Yuzuru: (Chuckles, wiping the remainder of his tears) "I get it, no need to apologize"
Yuzuru and Kanade stand up slowly. Yuzuru, still feeling weak, walks over to Hinata, bringing a palm up towards him.
Yuzuru: "I'm home"
Both Yuzuru and Hinata both high-five one another, following up with a hug.
Hinata: (Sad-tone) "Dude, we missed you... We were all here, and we expected you to come through when we all met up in the city after passing. What the hell happened all these three years? Were you stuck or something?"
They both let go of one another. Yuzuru guiltily looks back at Kanade, who also looks down in guilt. Yuri's smile turns into a less-enthusiastic straight-face, seeing the quick change of emotion between Yuzuru and Kanade, quickly remembering a sorrowful conversation she had with her.
Oh crap! Yuri quickly exclaims in her own mind.
She quickly attempts to interject, fearing awkwardness. She walks towards Yuzuru, giving him a quick hug.
Yuri: (Interjecting quickly, giving Yuzuru a quick hug) "Ah, who cares! We're glad you're finally here, Otonashi! Welcome home!"
Yuri quickly lets go of Yuzuru and turns around, starting for the doorway. She turns once more towards them.
Yuri: (Smiling) "I'm sure you're probably hungry. We've prepared something special for you"
Yuzuru smiles and looks back at Kanade once more and smiles.
Hinata: "I'm actually pretty hungry, too. I'm definitely down for some food!"
Hinata follows Yuri out the door. Yuri talks as she walks down the hall with Hinata.
Yuri: "Take as much time as you need. We'll be here when you're ready to eat"
Yuri and Hinata leave sight of the doorway. Yuzuru sits on the bed, in disbelief to everything happening in the moment.
Yuzuru: "I don't believe it..."
Kanade takes notice to Yuzuru once more, sitting next to him and leaning towards him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Yuzuru: "Three years, huh? That's how long I was gone?"
Kanade stays silent, her arms resting on her own lap as she leaned on his shoulder while they sat.
Yuzuru: (To himself, still in disbelief) "Three years..."
Yuzuru pauses, trying to take everything in.
Kanade: "Yuzuru..."
Yuzuru gives Kanade his undivided attention.
Kanade: "I don't know if I can ever come around to forgiving myself for what I did to you"
Attempting to withhold the negative feelings he remembers the day she disappeared in his arms. He looks at her.
Yuzuru: (Tripping over his own words, playing dumb) "Wh-What do you mean?"
Kanade: "I was selfish... I... All these few years of being here, I felt no different than what I endured being in the other world, I mean before meeting all of you"
Yuzuru: (Attempting to cheer Kanade up) "Hey, don't worry about it, you. What's done is done"
Kanade: "It's not fair"
Though Kanade's voice was soft, her fists clenched on her lap. Yuzuru takes notice, putting one arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer.
Yuzuru: "It's just how it is... You were right"
Kanade: "I was right? About what?"
Yuzuru thought about a conversation he had with Kanade those many years ago, while they were both imprisoned by Naoi.
Yuzuru: "It wouldn't have worked... You said it yourself, I would have eventually disappeared if I ended up siding with you. It was probably just better this way. At least now we're all here"
Kanade: "Do you remember when Student Body President Naoi admitted of the lingering feelings he held before dying?"
Yuzuru: "I think so, why?"
Kanade: "He lived a carefree life as a child, while his brother was the protege to his father. When his brother passed away, Naoi said that he was the one who died. He was to fulfill the void that his brother left in his family, giving up his youth in order to become like his father. He was the one who died, because he was unable to live the life he once had before his brother passed away"
Yuzuru: "But you're not Naoi. Your situations are completely different!"
Kanade: (Shaking head softly in disagreement) "In the final moments prior to my departure, I had admitted to you that the weight that kept me from being able to pass on, was that I wanted to thank the boy who gave me the gift of life. As selfless as that may sound to you, it was also inconsiderate, knowing well the effects of what would occur afterwards"
Yuzuru: "I don't understand. What do you mean by inconsiderate?"
Kanade: "For a long time, I lingered in that world, trying to understand the meaning of my existence, watching others with heavy burdens that slowly lifted the longer they were around me. Because of my nature, I believed that I was a bringer of inner peace to others, thus allowing them to pass on. But I did not want to be resolved to such a life, as I began to grow lonely and distant to the other students" (Looks down in self-pity) "The only opportunity I ever had, in order to be able to pass on, was to give you my gratitude... But I knew that if I did so, I would have passed on, and you would likely have been unable, as the burden of love would have been too great" (Pauses for a moment) "I wanted to believe that I would be wrong, thinking that there would be a chance that you could also pass on... (Pauses once more) "My burden was never truly gone. I merely passed it on to you"
Yuzuru looks down, sympathetic to Kanade's feelings.
Yuzuru: (Attempting to reassure her) "I'm not going to pretend that I never got frustrated or angry. I fell into my own trap, thinking that us being together would actually work... As time went on, I began to realize that your purpose had been fulfilled. For you to remain there with me would have resulted in nothing different. One of us would have been obliterated eventually. But none of that really matters anymore"
Kanade nods her head in agreement, though lacking the certainty of self-forgiveness. Both continue to sit on the edge of the bed; Otonashi keeps his arm around her shoulder, both leaning against one another, smiling.
Kanade: "In time, I am sure that I will learn to forgive myself"
Yuzuru takes his hand from around her shoulders and places them on his lap, twiddling his thumbs together.
Yuzuru: (Unsure, trying to speak carefully) "So... We're both here now..."
Kanade: "Yes, it would appear that we are"
Yuzuru grits his teeth for a moment, and his nerves begin to tingle.
Yuzuru: "What now?"
Kanade: (Trying to understand) "What... now? I'm afraid I don't understand"
Yuzuru: (Tripping over his own words, pretending to laugh as he spoke) "W-Well... I mean... I-I admitted everything to you before you were obliterated..."
Kanade: (Inept) "You admitted your feelings, if my memory serves me correctly"
Yuzuru: (Trying to stay calm and collected) "Well... I umm... I guess... But I've passed on, and I'm here now!"
Yuzuru chokes on his words, holding his breath and slamming his eyes shut, trying to muster his courage. Kanade looks up to him, confused of his current episode. He thinks to himself, trying hard to rid himself of suppressing thoughts. Kanade's expression goes back to normal, suddenly looking forward, closing her eyes halfway and smiling. Yuzuru catches his breath, wiping a drop of sweat on his right temple. Kanade stands and straightens her brown skirt and stands in front of Yuzuru. With care, she grabs his hand and pulls him up slowly. He stands as she begins to pull him towards the exposed doorway, stepping over the broken pieces of wood that used to be the door.
Kanade: "We should eat"
Yuzuru begins to feel warm as she held onto his hand, walking with her into the hallway.
