Chapter three: The Memories Are Coming (Part One)

Yui sat on the couch watching everyone get along. She wondered if she really belonged here. Everyone seemed to really like her, this was the first time Yui felt - wanted. Felt safe.

"Hey! Yui, why don't you come over here and we can sing something?"

"Ah! I'm alright really, I'll just listen for now. I don't want to be in your spotlight. Maybe another time." Yui stated as she looked over at the singer.

"Suit yourself."

The band was just messing with some cords. Soon the band stopped and went over to a few of the girls, who were just sitting around and talking about something. Of course, Yui couldn't hear it from where she was. Yui got up from her spot on the couch, to look around some more. Putting a metal layout in her head. She wondered why there was just such a familiar - what is it called? Ring? Memory? That De- whatever word. Yui looked over to see a few of the girls and walked over to them.

"Hey, Yui! You should join this sleep-over that we're going to be having here." Kanade smiled at the girl.

"I-I would have to see if it's alright." Yui smiled, "But I'm sure it won't be."

"Awesome!" Masami smiled. "We are going to have so much fun! Pizza, Ice cream, pillow fights." She started to list off.

Yui laughed, this would be the first time she felt like she belonged somewhere - somewhere that people wanted to hang out with her. Where no one was going to be bothering her, making fun of her. These friends - they were really her friends. They wanted her around. Sure this friendship with these people were all new to her, but she knew that they wouldn't get tired of her. she had them and they had her. This was going to be the best. Soon, Hideki and Yuzuru walked over to where the girls were.

"We wanted to know if you girls are going to join us to get some food?" Hideki asked.

"Is it that late already?" Miyuki asked.

"Yeah," Yuzuru answered.

The girls nodded as they looked at the two boys. Yui got up and looked at her phone and quickly texted her father.

Hey, Dad, I'm going to get some food with my new friends, and then I'll text you the address of the restaurant. - Yui

Alright. Just make sure you text me. - Yui's dad.

Everyone grabbed their belongings and headed out towards the restaurant. As they walked, it felt familiar to Yui - on how all of them were walking together. Though she couldn't place it why it was familiar and she probably thought it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. For some reason, Hideki was next to Yui and for him, it just - felt - so - right.

"Why does this feel so right? Being next to Yui has t mean something, right? Maybe there is a bigger picture on why I would feel like this without really knowing her." Hideki thought as he looked down at the short girl and then looked back up the sky.

Was this fate? What was this when Yui was around everyone just seemed to slowly gain something back - of course, they all knew that they had to talk to each other once she was gone. Though, Kanadae was the only one who thought that Yui should be there when they were talking because she might think that Yui knew a lot more about everything. Though their thoughts were somewhere else. Yui started to hum a song - one that was, familiar. Like she heard it before but she knew that in this life she hasn't heard it before.

"Yui, whatcha humming?" Yuri asked as she looked back at Yui, hearing the humming.

"Mm? Oh, I actually don't know. Just something random I suppose." Yui said - trying to give away too much information about what she was truly humming. She couldn't sound crazy. No one would hang out with her if they ever found out.

Yui's Mind

There, standing in front of her was the guy from her dream, the one who said something to her. The one who said that a baseball was going to fly through her window. Though the scene was a bit before that - he said something that shocked her.

"I'd marry you and make you the happiest woman alive." Said that strange boy who was clouded over.

"Yui!" Yuzuru said, waving a hand in front of her face.

Yui blinked and looked over at him, "I'm sorry, I had a mental break." She said shaking her head.

"Do you want us to contact your dad so you can go get some rest?" Yuri asked, really concerned about what just happened.

"I'm fine, really." Yui nodded her head. "Let's go get some food!"

Of course, everyone was sure that there was still something not right with her Yui - what was she thinking. Yui looked at the sky. Everything was starting to feel real - like it has happened. Has...Happened.

"When could it have happened?" Yui thought. "I really think I might be going crazy!"

Hideki's Mind

"You know, I couldn't walk, I still couldn't stand." Said the voice of a girl.

"I said, No matter the Handicap," Hideki started off with, as this girl looked at him she was shocked. "Even if you couldn't stand or walk, even if you couldn't have kids, even so...I'd still marry you."

"I would!" Hideki said. She started to smile. "I wanna be with you forever and ever. The _ I met here wasn't a fake." He started to walk closer until he was standing right in front of her. "You're _. No matter where we met, I would've fallen in love with you. Even though it's a 1 in 6 billion chance we meet, even if you were already paralyzed when we met."

"Hideki! What happened? You just look like you spaced out..." TK said looking at his friend.

"I don't know - I just had this...vision, of some kind about a girl while we were...there.." Hideki said as he looked at TK. "It was like something that was coming back."

"What was this thing?" TK asked as he was really curious to know what happened.

"I was at that baseball field again, but this time, it was in the Afterlife, and there was a girl there - I couldn't really see her though. It was like, I was promising her that I would marry her. It was just strange." Hideki said as he looked at TK and then looked at Yui, "Her voice sounded like Yui's but a bit more sad."

"Woah, are you going to marry her?" TK asked.

"Why would I marry someone I don't know?"

"Well, what if you got to know the girl, got to see who she was."

"Maybe, I wonder who she is."

"There has to be someone else here, that was in the Afterlife with us. If we find them, then we can understand everything that was happening, and maybe we can all finally get our memories intact. I hate how we only get bits and pieces and they are all scattered all over the place."

"I just hope you are right, cause it's a pain not remembering the times we spent together"

Once everyone arrived, they looked around and wandered over to a table that was usually where they normally sat. Through the music, there was a song that was playing, one that they really didn't know that well - Yui heard it before, though the song was only the background music, so there was no lyrics to it. Though Yui - she could feel lyrics coming to her. Like a song, she heard in her dream. Dream? Was it really a dream or was it more of a memory that was coming to her. Masami was getting into the music and of course, she pulled out a notebook and started to write down lyrics down, that she could feel through the music. Yui had to hold back and not sing - but it was just bursting. This song really pumps her up because of the beat.

"Yui, are you okay?" TK asked - looking at her.

"This song - I just want to sing it." Yui said as she tried to calm down.

"But there's no words to it..." Shiina tilted her head.

"It's like they are trapped in my head, waiting for me to sing them." Yui announced.

"Then go on! We want to really hear you!" Hisako encouraged her.

"Well, I-I never sang in front of people before, but for you - my new friends - I will try it." Yui took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Alchemy (Yui's Version)

Mugen ni ikitai

Mugen ni itkiraretara subete kanau

Demo irun na momo ga atashi wo oikondeku

Ikiru nokori jikan wo

Yume no zahyou yukue

Zenbu daiji na mono na no ni

Iisa konora de chotto amai mono tabete ikou

Sou iu shikou teishi bakari tokui ni natta

Aruite kita michi furikaeru to

Iya na koto bakkari de mou unzari da yo

Fureru mono wo kagayakashite yuku

Sonna michi wo ikite kitakatta yo

Mushou ni itkitai

Asette bakari no hibi subete kiesou

Demo sabootte mo miru datte trsukarechau ja nai

Sonna mujun shikou atashi atama dokka

Shiranai uchiutta mitai da

Ikka kokora de chotto buouin he itto kou

Zutto okiterareri kusuri ha oitemasen ka?

Bosaato tsuttatteru dake de mou

Kaseki ni natte shimasiou nan da yo

Darekara mo wasurerareta you na

Kusunda sonzai ni natta shimau yo

Iisa koko de chotto konjou wo misete yaru

Jibun de hoo tataite sonzai no shoumei he

Aruite kita michi furikaeranai

Iya na koto bakkari demo mae he susme

fureru mono wo kagayakashite yuku

Sonna sonzai ni natte

Miseru yo

Everyone was stunned at when she finished singing, but of course they clapped. Yui's whole face was red as she couldn't believe she just did that. Of course, that didn't help them gain their memories back since they never heard Yui sing that song before. There goes the theory that Yui was their missing piece to gain their memories back.

"You were great!" Ooyama smiles.

"I have to agree, you were," Noda said as he nodded his head.

Everyone froze and looked at Noda. Did he just say something nice?!

"You said - something nice." Shiori said.

"Well, she was great." Noda rolled his eyes.

"ANYWAYS!" Yuri said as she looked at everyone back to Yui. "You do have a great voice. I would say it's in par with Masami's own singing voice. You would do wonders for the band like you two can take turns singing!"

"W-w-w-what!" Yui said - her face growing even redder. "I-I don't think I can-it-it was different."

"How?" Kanade asked.

"Because we're friends. I don't think I would be able to perform in front of a student body!" Yui said.

"What if one of us stood in the crowd and you just looked at us the whole time?" Yusa asked as she looked at Yui, smiling.

"OR! You could picture everyone in their underwear." Matsushita said.

Yui paled at the thought and shook her head. Everyone else started at Matasushita.

"I thought Nosa was going to say something like that..." Takeyama said.

"Hey! Most of us were thinking it." Matsushita said.