Chapter 2-When I'm Gone
It was only when Yuri had helped Hinata up, escaped from the infirmary to her dorm, and changed back into her Battlefront uniform that the embarrassing tension back to ease.
It had taken two more pillows, a clock, and eventually even an attempt at throwing the mattress for Naoi get it it through his thick skull that she did not want him to hypnotize her. Otonashi and Kanade just watched, amused. Hinata was unconscious through it all.
When he finally came to, Yuri had helped him up and excused herself to go change. Hinata left before her, murmuring a brief "I'm sorry" before leaving himself. It made her feel disturbingly guilty.
Sliding a coin into the vending machine, she retrieved a bottle of Key Coffee and made her way out the the large veranda that overlooked the school. On her way, the same question ran through her head again and again.
What now?
Kage was defeated. Her friends had all reached peace, more or less. There was nothing stopping them from leaving this world, now. So why stay?
Yuri took a sip of coffee. She knew the answer to that question. It was her. They were staying behind for her. As much as the indirect gesture touched her, it also made her chest tighten, because they would be here forever if they were planning to wait for her to achieve peace.
Dispelling her thoughts, she took another sip from her can. Glancing up now, she watched the NPCs run track around the field. The team was slow; even she could run faster. Looking up at the endless sky, Yuri realized how utterly alone she was now. The NPCs had nothing to do with her. Her friends had achieved peace, and were waiting just for her. But she would never accept her past. Because of that other thing.
Frustrated, Yuri downed the rest of her drink at once and threw the can at the stone floor. Damn you God, she howled inwardly. Damn you damn you... "Damn you!" Yuri roared, venting all her frustration at the indifferent heavens.
...
Otonashi and Kanade were sitting on the main steps that led up to the school, the one with two streams of water following it. They had been chatting for about an hour now, but both showed no sign of slowing down.
"Otonashi," Kanade laughed, "I don't think Noda was EVER gay for you!"
And with that, she broke down laughing, clutching her stomach.
Otonashi rolled his eyes affectionately. Ever since Kage, Kanade seemed to have finally let her emotions flow free...at least around him. And she could finally appreciate controversial jokes now and then. Back then, though, how she reacted to Yuri and Hinata...he chuckled inwardly. It was one of those rare moments when you realized that Kanade had once been a normal girl just like Yuri, Iwasawa or even Yui (if any of them could be considered normal). When times like these came, it was adorable to watch.
Kanade finally calmed down from her laughing high and sat back up next to him. Otonashi had a sudden thought About Yuri and Hinata...
Otonashi waved his hand vaguely behind him. "So what did you think of...that?"
"Hm?" Kanade asked, tilting her head and freezing him with her golden eyes.
"Uh..." he floundered, then regained footing and said, "What you saw in there...you know."
"Ooooh," Kanade trilled, placing her palms together. "You mean Yuri and Hinata?"
"Yes."
Kanade laughed again, but this time it was more joyous. "They are so cute."
Otonashi sighed inwardly. Leave it to a clumsy Angel to describe Hinata OR Yuri as "cute."
"Do you think they would be together?" Kanade pondered, tapping her chin.
Otonashi shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "I know Hinata kind of likes her...he's known her for so long, and Yuri's smart. She can do the smart thing."
"Which is?" she asked, inching closer and looking up at him.
Otonashi smiled. "Why, whatever she wants, of course," he replied, leaning forward and pecking her on the cheek, making Kanade flush. The red was startlingly contrast to her white hair.
Just then, they heard yelling from the veranda above them. Otonashi couldn't hear who it was or what they were saying, but somehow he knew it was Yuri. Kanade seemed to think this too.
"Do you think Yuri and Hinata...are..." Kanade said, widening her eyes for emphasis. When Otonashi threw her a confused look, she continued, "You know...that," she said, waving her hand.
Kanade's meaning dawned on Otonashi, and his face went beet red. "Of course not!" he almost shouted. Shaking his head, he said, "I didn't know you could think that way, Kanade..."
Kanade just smiled.
...
Yuri breathed in deeply, trying in vain to calm herself down. She stared down at the ruined mess of the Key Coffee can, now dented and twisted beyond recognition. Although knowing it was ridiculous, Yuri felt bad for venting her frustrations on such an innocent fragment of aluminum. Scooping the can up, she murmured her apologies (and her condolences) before depositing it into the trashcan.
Shoving her hands into her pockets, she began her sullen walk back to her dorm.
She wandered aimlessly through the quiet halls of the school, heading towards her dorm but for some reason taking the longest possible route. It was for this reason that she turned a corner and saw Hinata at the other end of the corridor.
Yuri saw him and turned to go in the opposite direction, but Hinata called out "Yuri! Wait!" And her neck stiffened, forcing her to stop. She couldn't refuse him...but why?
Hinata had caught up with her by then, smiling widely. "Hey," he greeted her.
"Hey."
"How's things?"
"Same."
"Shoot a gun recently?"
"As if there was anything to shoot at."
Hinata abruptly stopped speaking, and he took on a more somber tone. "Look, the reason I was looking for you is, I wanted to apologize."
Yuri glanced up at him, then quickly looked back down. Those eyes... "Apologize?"
Hinata nodded firmly. "I'm sorry for kissing you in front of Otonashi and the other's. I was stupid as usual and I apologize."
Yuri studied the tiles on the floor. "You're sorry?"
"Yes."
"So you didn't enjoy it?"
This stopped Hinata short. Yuri could literally see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out a good response to this. Idiot, she thought.
Finally, he spoke. "Well...uh...then thing is...how do I say this..."
Yuri waited.
"Well you see, Yuri, the reason why I even did it in the first place was because..."
"Because...?" Yuri prompted. She had no idea why, but suddenly she needed him to say it...she needed it...
Hinata took one last look at her, then said, "Because I just wanted to cheer you up."
It felt like the falling ceiling trap from the Guild. Yuri felt a certain wait crush down on her shoulders, and she gulped to fight back an unexplainable lump in her throat. "Oh. Thanks."
Hinata nodded awkwardly. "Welcome."
"I need to get back to my dorm." And with that, she brushed by Hinata and walked down the hall.
Yuri's mind was like a battlefield, with two warring thoughts fighting for dominance. But through it all, she was completely, utterly confused. Why in the world did Hinata throw her off so much? He wasn't too different...just changed.
And those eyes.
And why did she need him to say...what she hoped he would say? It was illogical...not possible...what had happened to her after Kage?
Yuri bonked her head against the wall and asked herself: Am I falling for Hideki Hinata?
After staying like that for a few minutes, she raised her head and thought, Whatever...I'll think about it later. She was about to resume her walk down the corridor when she saw it.
Yuri froze as the shadow turned, fixating its white, blank eyes on her green ones. The world seemed to bend out of shape then, obliterating everything until it was only her and the Kage. Yuri's knees went weak and more multiplied from the walls. She had no weapons. No means of defense. There was only one option.
She turned and ran back the way she came, and the Kage pursued her.
As she ran, she thought, Nononononononooooo...this isn't possible...I stopped them all!
Hinata turned when he heard rapid footsteps behind him, and he saw Yuri...and...was that a Kage!
He didn't need Yuri's warning. He turned and ran. Taking out the walkie talkie to held at all time, he shouted into it, ordering everyone to meet up at Anti-Tenshi Headquarters. Killing the microphone, he stuffed it into his pocket and ran.
A few minutes later, the two of them crashed into HQ, narrowly avoiding the massive hammer than bore down on them (they had forgotten to give the password). The rest of their friends were already in there. Slamming the door closed, Yuri locked it and doubled over, gasping for breath. Otonashi walked to the door and opened it a crack; peering out, he saw Kage patrolling the corridors. One of them looked right at him, and he stiffened, but otherwise the shadows paid him no heed. Hinata joined him and noticed the same thing. Then Yuri poked her head out and all the Kage suddenly swarmed at the door, and Hinata yanked it closed and locked it again.
"Okay," Otonashi gasped, "What the hell is going on?"
Hinata shook his head, and Yuri said, "I don't understand! I shut down the machines! The Kage can't be back!"
"Well they are out there right now," Naoi sneered.
Hinata shook his head again, and Yuri murmured, "It's not possible..."
Otonashi said, "This is definitely a problem, but something has changed...they are only after Yuri."
"Eh!" Hinata exclaimed. "Why?"
"If we knew, you would know," Naoi commented reproachfully.
"Shut up."
"You can't tell God to shut up."
"Shut up!"
"Guys, calm down," Kanade reasoned. "We need to plan out our next move." Then, she gave Hinata a look. "But I don't like that you still call it Anti-Tenshi." Hinata just waved it off.
Kanade looked around. "The shadows are only after Yuri," she reasoned. "So the rest of us should be able to roam free as long as we don't provoke them, right?"
"It would seem so..." Otonashi agreed.
"Damn," Yuri said, "I left my pistols at the infirmary."
"We'll get them for you," Kanade said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
And with that, she took Otonashi and Naoi, telling Hinata to look after Yuri.
Kanade winked at him before she closed the door.
Hinata and Yuri both sat on the couch, not talking. They both wondered about their own things until Yuri said, "Why me?"
"I don't know," Hinata replied, shaking his head. "It makes no sense...why you, really?"
Yuri lowered her head.
Hinata put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Yuri," he reassured her. "It'll be alright."
Yuri looked up at him. "You don't understand."
Hinata looked back for a moment, then admitted, "No, I probably don't." Adjusting his position, he asked her, "Do you want be to cheer you up?"
Yuri's eyes widened. Was she implying...no, he couldn't be. But if he was...why should she accept? Because she was upset? Because Hinata drover her crazy in a wonderful way? Both were good reasons. There didn't seem to be a reason to refuse and she didn't try harder to find one. Closing her eyes, she closed half the distance between them, a clear indication.
And Hinata closed the rest of the space, and their lips met. The feeling was like nothing Yuri had felt before; that time in the infirmary had, actually, been her first kiss, but she hadn't had time to enjoy it at all. But this...this was amazing.
Hinata seemed to be trying to respect her modesty, limiting the kiss to a simple brush of the lips; but Yuri instinctively pushed her head forward, instantly deepening the kiss. Hinata gasped slightly, and Yuri made a small sound in her throat. Oh shit, she thought. Oh shiiit...what am I gonna do...
Yuri felt a hand come up to tangle in her hair; another held her close. Hinata kept kissing her and she didn't object, instead pulling him even closer. He flicked her lips with his tongue and Yuri whimpered, a sound she almost never made on the battlefield, but sounded so much better now. The blue haired boy tugged at her hair and angled his head more, making her moan slightly, and that was all the opening he needed to slip his tongue in.
Yuri's eyes shot wide open and she could barely contain herself from crushing against her best friend, needing something - anything - to regain her sanity with. Hinata seemed to be hanging just as close to the edge, because he moaned too when their tongues met. Yuri whimpered again, feeling helpless but loving it so much. She took his face into her hands and kissed even deeper, sliding halfway onto Hinata's lap. It was an instinctive move - she wanted to be more comfortable - but Hinata gasped, moaned a bit, and kissed her harder. Yuri took a moment to realize why, and she smirked against his lips. Perv.
Pulling herself fully onto Hinata's lap, she began a battle of dominance with Hinata, making their tongue fight against each other and making them both moan. Yuri had always worried that kissing would be impossibly hard, but this...wasn't so bad. It just seemed to come naturally to her.
Somewhere at the edge of her hazy consciousness, she felt Hinata play with the ends of her thigh-highs, going so far as to slide the stocking-like article of clothing down a few inches and feeling the exposed flesh. Yuri gasped and jerked her lower body; this was the first time she had let another man expose her like this, but it felt so good and she only wanted him to keep going. Without thinking, she undid the only button holding her jacket closed, because it was restricting her movement. Spreading her legs a bit more so she could get closer to him, she moaned and was about to-
"Yuri, I'm back with your-HOLY SHI-"