Yay! Another update! :)

So, basically, as you might have guessed from the plot, both Yuri's team and Otonashi's team will be entering the Guild. What dangers and enemies will the real-world team and the Afterworld team encounter in the Guild? How will they respond differently? Is anyone going to die or get obliterated? Read on to find out X)

Anyway, I'm going to divide the scene into three parts. This is part 1 for now. Hopefully I can put part 2 up by tomorrow. Enjoy :)

Chapter 25 - Dual operation II Part 1

Yuri's Team (6:30 p.m.) - The Gym

We decided to take a break in the Gym. Noda was still unconscious, I took a seat on the floor with Hinata, Yui, Fuko and Takeyama while the GirlDeMo members reloaded their pistols.

The ambush had been a slight distraction, but thanks to GirlDeMo's rescue, all of us had managed to escape unscathed - well, that is, if you didn't take into account the fact that I'd almost turned into an NPC and that Noda had almost sacrificed himself protecting me.

The Gym, like possibly everywhere else, was completely deserted. Plus, all the lights were killed and we had no way to turn them back on. It was like a massive blackout or something. Could a simple program be responsible for all of this?

Well, we'll soon find out. I thought to myself.

'Takeyama,' I said as I stood up and straightened my wet uniform. 'What's the status?'

'I have double-checked our coordinates,' Takeyama replied, looking at a small monitor that was possibly the strongest light source in the darkness. 'We're right on top of him. And please call me Christ.'

Perfect. I thought.

'If everything's the way things were in the Afterworld,' I said as I turned to look at the team. 'This exact spot should be the entrance to the Guild.'

'I still can't believe it actually exists in the real world,' Hinata said lazily beside me, still resting on the floor. 'Hey, Yurippe. What do you think is down there?'

'I don't know,' I replied. 'But we're dealing with a very thorough rogue program here, so I'm guessing it's not exactly going to be a pleasant journey.'

'Oh man...' Hinata muttered and scratched his head. 'I hope we're not going to have to deal with another ambush.'

'Don't worry,' Iwasawa said as she aimed her pistol at the far side of the Gym and fired once. 'They're not going to catch us off guard this time.'

'Geez,' Hinata said as he covered his ears. 'Be careful with that. We're not dead yet, you know?'

Iwasawa turned and threw a smirk at Hinata.

'Oh, Noda-san's awake!' Fuko said.

Noda groaned and held his head as he slowly came to. Then he said drowsily, 'Yurippe...'

'Noda!' I said as I crouched in front of him. 'Are you okay?'

'Where are... the shadows?' Noda asked, still drowsy.

'They're gone,' I said calmly. 'Iwasawa and Hisako came and took care of them.'

'Don't forget to thank us,' Hisako said playfully.

'Oh... thank God you're okay...' Noda said before clearing his throat. 'I mean, I could have taken all of them down on my own. I didn't need any help.'

'Gee, thanks...' Hisako said.

I suppressed an internal chuckle, hid my appreciation, put up a stern face and folded my arms. 'What were you thinking? I told you to leave without me! You could have gotten yourself killed.'

Noda scoffed as he pulled himself to his feet. 'Those weaklings were no match for me.'

I sighed. 'You can be really reckless sometimes, you know that?'

'Surprise, surprise.' Hinata smirked.

I took center stage and said, 'Anyway, let's recap. According to Takeyama, the rogue program is currently residing at the bottom floor of the Guild. He knows Guard Skills, some of which are unknown even to Kanade. This mission is going to be very dangerous, but it is also vital that we put a stop to whatever he's planning. Once we go in, there is no going back. The most important thing is to remain vigilant at all times.'

'This is sounding more and more like a suicide mission...' Hinata muttered.

'Iwasawa,' I said. 'This is the first time for you and your team to enter the Guild, right?'

'Right,' Iwasawa replied briefly.

'Then here's the plan,' I continued. 'I will lead the way. You and Noda will stay behind me. Hinata, Yui, Fuko and Takeyama will follow. The rest of GirlDeMo will stay at the back.'

'In that case, use this,' Hisako said as she threw me her something.

I caught it and realized it was her pistol. 'But-'

'I'm more into samurai moves now.' She smiled as she pulled a katana from behind her that I hadn't noticed.

'Since when did you become another Fujimaki?' Hinata asked and made a face.

Hisako smiled but didn't reply.

'Thanks.' I stuck the pistol behind my back and shouted, 'Then let's move out!'

With Noda's help, I pulled out an enormous rack of folding chairs from under the stage, revealing the trapdoor that leads to the first floor of the Guild.

I looked back and said, 'Good luck, everyone. You'll need it.'

Yuri's Team (6:50 p.m.) - ギルド連絡通路B1

The Guild was just the way I'd remembered it. The dark tunnel stretched indefinitely in either direction, dimly lit on both sides by lanterns hanging from the stony walls. The floor was carefully covered with wooden floorboards.

'Remain vigilant,' I reminded everyone, aiming my pistol in front of me.

'This place hasn't changed a bit,' Hinata mused, mirroring my thoughts.

I'd been here many times before, and I could positively say that I was not a big fan of this operation. First, the air was really muggy here for some reason, and it didn't help that now our clothes were all wet because of the rain. Second, this was the place where we'd needed to fight off our most dangerous enemies - multiple cruel clones of Kanade, masses of menacing black shadows...

'Yuri, look out!' Iwasawa suddenly shouted behind me before she pinned me to the floor, knocking my pistol off my hand.

Less than a second later, a huge black hammer that was pivoted in the ceiling made its way to the wall, crashing into it with a huge, terrifying sound, crumbling it into pieces of huge rocks.

I almost forgot to breathe as I realized how perilously close I'd come to danger, and death.

'That was close...' Iwasawa muttered as she helped both of us to our feet. 'What was that?'

I eyed the hammer that was now swinging gently back and forth and waited for my racing heart to return to a more restful rhythm. 'Anti-Angel traps... The situation is worse than I thought.'

'What? Is this guy seriously trying to kill us?' Hinata raged.

'Anti-Angel traps?' Iwasawa frowned questioningly.

'These instant death traps were originally designed to stop Kanade from overtaking the Guild,' I explained. 'Of course, that was before we realized the whole Angel business was a huge misunderstanding. And it looks like all of them are still activated.'

'This is crazy...' Hinata said as he put a hand on his forehead.

'Exactly,' I said. 'These traps could be insanely painful in the Afterworld, but here, they could literally kill.'

'So what's the plan, Yurippe?' Noda asked.

'We try to outmaneuver the traps,' I said and turned toward him. 'And pray.'

Otonashi's Team (7:30 p.m.) - The Gym

It's finally starting to make sense. Who was countering Naoi's powers and why. It was you all along, Kanade.

You suffered the same pain I did. I lost my sister, and you lost the trust of all your friends. We felt abandoned and lonely. We both wanted to run, because we were lost and scared.

Then you overheard my conversation with Hatsune in the cemetery. Just like me, you realized the truth. Just like me, you realized the errors of your ways. That running is never the solution.

That's why you decided to fight this problem on your own, isn't it? You knew I was going to stop you, so you didn't let Naoi reveal all of my memories. Instead, you hid a note card here while all of us were at the medical room with him.

But you've misunderstood it all. Fighting doesn't mean being alone.

I felt a pat on my shoulder. I turned to find Fujimaki looking at me. 'Don't worry, man,' he said. 'We'll find Angel.'

'Yeah,' Oyama chimed in. 'I'm sure Angel will be fine.'

'Guys, a little help?' Takamatsu said, pointing at the huge container of folding chairs, which would be the entrance to the Guild.

After we heaved it out of the way and opened the trapdoor hidden inside, I turned toward my sister and put my hands on her shoulders. 'Hatsune, maybe you should stay with Naoi and Matsushita. This is going to be very dangerous from here on out, and I can still walk you there.'

'Otonashi,' Takamatsu cut in. 'Trust me when I say that there's no place safe here anymore. We're dealing with a very dangerous enemy, one that seems to know everything about us, while we don't know a thing about him. Believe it or not, she's safest with us.'

'And I want to help find Kanade-chan, big brother,' Hatsune said.

I sighed. 'In that case, be sure to stay close to me.'

She nodded cheerfully.

Otonashi's Team (7:35) - ギルド連絡通路B1

'We need a plan,' Takamatsu said as soon as all seven of us had climbed down the metal stairs.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Well, Angel was supposed to aid us in the operation and disarm all the traps for us. That's why we needed her help in the first place. And since she's decided to go alone, that leaves us to deal with the traps ourselves.'

'Doesn't that mean Angel has already cleared a path for us?' Oyama asked. 'I mean, if she's gone ahead, then she should have neutralized all the traps, right?'

'Let's hope that's the case,' Takamatsu said.

I shuddered at the thought. When you've been hit by a hammer, chased by a huge boulder, trapped in a room where laser could practically cut you in pieces, to name but a few of the ordeals, the trauma isn't something you can merely get over. And the thought of Kanade having to endure all of that was almost horrifying. But then again, it wouldn't be her first time, so she probably knew what she was doing... I hoped.

'Isn't there any way to deactivate them permanently?' I said, trying to feel hopeful.

To my dismay, Takamatsu said, 'Unfortunately, that's not possible.'

'Why not?'

'There's no one at the bottom of the Guild waiting for us except our enemy, which probably means it's up to him to reactivate the traps even if Angel managed to disarm them on her way down.'

'That sucks,' Fujimaki said.

'This is so stupid,' Shiina said, shutting her eyes and looking like she didn't care about anything.

I stole a glance at Hatsune, and was surprised that she was exceedingly calm.

'So what's the plan?' I asked.

Takamatsu turned to look at the rocky tunnel, which stretched as far as the eye could see. 'I've been thinking about that a lot on our way here, and I think I've finally figured out what we lack.' He suddenly paused.

'Well, what is it?' Fujimaki urged.

When Takamatsu turned back to us, he had a smirk on his face. 'Speed.'

Seeing no reply from us, he went on enthusiastically, 'Don't you get it? All it takes is speed. We only need to outrun the traps. Run past the hammer before it hits you, get to the exit before the boulder gets you, et cetera. Speed is the only thing it takes.' He stared at us, making a face which briefly translated to isn't-it-obvious?

'Well, I... guess...' I agreed hesitantly. 'Theoretically speaking.'

'You guys don't believe me, do you?' Takamatsu said and frowned.

Well, I sure wanted to, but the idea just sounded too simple, and a bit silly at that.

'You believe me, don't you, Shiina?' Takamatsu asked, his voice sounded a bit desperate, surprisingly.

Shiina didn't even open her eyes. It was like she couldn't hear what Takamatsu had just asked.

'Don't worry,' he said as he pushed up the bridge of his glasses. 'I'll show you.' Then, without turning his back on us, he started walking backwards while taking off his clothes. 'Just follow my lead. You'll see this is a brilliant idea.'

'Uh... Takamatsu?' I said cautiously as he slowly yet unknowingly approached the danger zone.

'What?' Takamatsu asked, completely oblivious as he continued to walk backwards.

'Takamatsu, no!'

Whoosh! The whole motion was clear and terrifying. The huge black hammer hidden in the ceiling was instantly activated when Takamatsu walked directly below it. Takamatsu also realized it, but he was a moment too late. HIs eyes widened for a terrifying second, before the hammer sent him flying into the opposite wall and buried him in the crumbled pieces of rocks.

'Takamatsu!' We cried in unison, and watched helplessly as the giant hammer gently swung back and forth.

'Moron...' Fujimaki muttered as he put his hand on his forehead.

'So the traps really are still active...' I said.

'So what's the plan now?' Fujimaki asked impatiently.

'We follow his plan,' Shiina said as she slowly opened her eyes and readied her kodachi. 'He was right. Speed is what we need.' Now there's a shocker. I don't think I've ever heard Shiina say so many words at once...

'Well, if even you say so, Shiina...' I said.

Beside me, Oyama started to shake visibly. 'Uh...' he stuttered. 'A-a-are you sure, Shiina? I don't want to fall and get spiked again...'

'Come on,' Fujimaki said as he flung his arm around Oyama's neck. 'Don't tell me you're having cold feet. Look, even Hatsune's calmer than you.'

I took another glance at my sister. She really looked surprisingly calm.

'Hmm?' she asked when she noticed me staring at her.

I frowned in bewilderment. 'Aren't you feeling even a bit nervous?'

'Well, a little,' she admitted.

I shook my head. 'Just remember to stay close to me, all right?'

She nodded.

Shiina sighed. 'If you're done with the chitchat, let's move out.'

Sorry if you think the end of this part is a little abrupt. I didn't want to put too much in a chapter, and you can see this is just the beginning of a long journey down. Anyway, please review, and I look forward to seeing how you feel about the chapter or the idea in general :D