Chapter 4: Who am I?
(Class 2-B)
Kanade sat at her desk and scribbled away at a piece of paper as the teacher gave a lesson on Japanese history. Only Kanade was not writing notes she had spent the past forty-five minutes doodling on multiple pieces of paper, "I can't take notes," she thought, "students have disappeared by being a model student." She stopped doodling and pondered for a moment, "If this is true then why are those two here, Clyde and Otonashi. Why haven't they passed on?" Kanade stood from her seat and started for the classroom door,
"Excuse me miss where are you going?" The teacher asked in a low voice that was barely considered audible. Kanade turned and answered simply,
"I don't feel well." She walked out of the class and looked down the hallways of the school. There were no signs of damage, the windows were almost transparent and the floors looked as if they had been freshly waxed within the past hour. Kanade walked down the hallways until she came across the stairs, "I haven't been to the roof yet have I?" Kanade asked herself. She walked up the stairs about two floors and came across the rooftop door. She noticed that the door was slightly opened, though she figured that maybe a custodian had been around and forgot to close it. She pushed the door gently and it opened with ease and she walked out on to the roof top. She inhaled the cool air and let the breeze gently kiss her skin the breeze soothed her it was like a powerful being filling her with life. Her hair swayed in the air majestically she closed her eyes and smiled, she had never felt this in heaven the climate had always been moderated.
"Taking in the breeze?" Clyde asked from across the rooftop, he leaned on a chain link fence and was observing the activities in the courtyard. She looked over to him, nodded and let out a short 'mhmm' in acknowledgment, "shouldn't you be in class?" he asked.
"I felt like stepping outside for minute," Kanade answered,
"I see."
Kanade walked over to Clyde and placed her hand on the chain link and looked down upon the people in the courtyard. They were so small, like ants marching about in a systematic routine. She looked over to Clyde, he smiled as he watched the people perform their activities, "You know it really doesn't matter whether you go to class or not, the staff here is not really about student attendance," Clyde said,
"What do you mean?" Kanade asked,
"Well there aren't a lot of people coming and going these days, some come through work about their regular routine and move on to the next life."
"What are you talking about," Kanade asked once again,
Clyde chuckled and looked over to her, "I guess you don't know the rules of this place. Well I guess the word 'rules' would be an understatement, they're more like qualifications. But in case you haven't noticed yet everyone in this world is dead in the real world."
"I'm aware of that."
"Ah right, I guess Otonashi didn't really give you the kindest of greetings, but that aside everyone here to fulfill what they didn't get to enjoy and that is their youth. Once they've lived enough they pass on to the next life, but that task as daunting as it is proves to be very difficult."
"How so?"
"Well no one really knows how to pass on, people tried to be a model human by being kind to everyone, others have tried performing valiant efforts either way most people end up the same within a year or two, they lose sight of who they are and they give up on trying. Sometimes that leads to sever consequences, some people have tried venturing out into the mountains to 'find their path' but personally I find it to be bullshit. But then again I've seen some people walk up to a shadow and let it take their soul, and become one themselves. But what they don't understand is that they need to be themselves, there is a certain persona that everyone has but they are afraid to let it loose. Shit how can I say that when I don't even know who I am?"
"You're you," Kanade said trying to encourage him a bit,
"Ha, it's easy to say that, but one day you'll end up where I am and start asking yourself the same question, that is if you don't end up like the other people
"So these, 'other people,' they basically gave up on life."
"Yeah pretty much."
There was a pause between them in which the silence was filled by the gentle breeze of the wind.
"So where do the Shadows come from?" Kanade asked,
"Well I wish I could tell you, no one really knows where they come from but they only have one real motive and that is taking souls, they're only out at night and they stay in the caves in the mountains but other than that, that's all we really know about them. Not to get off topic but do you remember what you were doing before you… well died?"
Kanade thought for a moment, she remembered what she was doing and why she was in this place, however she felt that her story would be unbelievable so she made up a lie for the time being, "I was in a car accident, I guess I didn't make it." Kanade answered.
"I'm sorry to hear."
"If you don't mind me asking how did you die?"
"Well I was beaten to death, protecting someone who I thought I loved. A beautiful girl, I was young and stupid and just like any young and stupid kid would I stood up for a false hope, a hope that I would get a chance at the girl of my dreams. When a couple of guys were picking on her one day my dumbass decided to step in, so they changed their focus to me and lets be honest as a first year I did nothing to those guys they were much bigger than I was and well I got my ass kicked." Clyde chuckled a bit and paused, "Oh well what can you do, what's done is done and there's no going back." Kanade looked down almost in shame, she couldn't remember how she died she lived for the last ninety-nine year in what she thought was a perfectly peaceful life, "Well all of us have a story, mine is just a mere scratch compared to what others have had done to them. We should go see Otonahsi see what he's up to."
"What about our classes?" Kanade asked,
"In all honesty it doesn't really matter whether you got to class or not, the staff doesn't really bother you about it, whether you pass or fail you still attend here at the school, I've been here for ninety-nine years and I haven't had one complaint about me missing school."
"Oh that's right; you would get obliterated if you attend classes." Kanade thought, "So basically you were held back," she stated
"Well…. I don't know but Otonahsi graduated and he's still the student body president so I'm assuming class is irrelevant," Clyde said just before he walked back into the school. Kanade took one last glance at the students; she inhaled the cool air and followed inside.
Student council room
"Thank you for giving my life to me," She said. Otonashi reached out to the faceless girl,
"Don't leave me!" he yelled. The last thing he cared about was about to leave, he knew it she knew it but who was this girl that he had loved almost entirely. He blinked and in an instant she was gone, never to be seen again.
"Otonashi," a faint voice called, "Otonashi," it said again only louder, "OTONASHI!" Aya yelled slamming her hand on the table. Otonahsi woke up from his sleep and looked up at Aya, his second in command.
"What?" Otonashi asked confusedly,
"Can you stay awake for about five minutes please? We have to take care of this shadow problem." Aya was a short girl her face made her appear of sixteen but her body resembled that of a more mature person. No one really knew how old she because she would never disclose her age along with how she died, she wore a black council suit and had her dark brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were a piercing green, the more she looked at you the more intimidating she became, and however Otonashi seemed unfazed by this… most of the time. The council room was composed of five students all of which had died, they roamed around the school monitoring the perimeter of the school for any shadow activity and making sure that students and NPC alike attended their classes, however at this moment there was one member missing, Clyde.
"The shadows come and go as they please we can't control them, if it's on the campus then we deal with it. However," Otonashi paused,
"However what? That is the first time a shadow has acted so aggressively, aside from that S class shadow Daxos, what if another-"
"Hold on!" Otonashi said sternly and silencing Aya, "This one was different; usually the Shadows attack people on impulse this one acted almost as if it had a directive. It seemed like it was after the new girl Tachibana."
"Okay, why do you say that?"
"Because shadows usually hunt and fight in packs, this one acted alone."
The room was silent for a moment,
"Alright then we set guards at the perimeter of each building," Aya suggested,
"And with what people would we do that with, most of our troops passed on last year, or were slaughtered after the last fight we had with them."
"Okay then we can recruit some students."
"Can't do that without their consent, the staff may be NPC but they'll still act and ban any un-necessary or unacceptable actions."
Clyde busted through the door of the council, everyone's eyes glanced up to him in disappointment. Kanade followed in closely behind him and walked over to the corner of the room to observe the situation, "After noon Aya, you're looking gorgeous as ever," Clyde stated,
"Shut up and take a seat you're late, and who's this person you've brought with you she is not supposed to be in here."
"That's Tachibana she's the new student I was telling you about she claims she's been here before," Otonashi said with his head buried between his arms. Kanade took a small step back into the wall in fear of Aya's commanding attitude.
"Ah Otonashi…. Looking grim as always," Clyde said as he walked behind Otonashi,
"Jackass," Otonashi responded, "So I'm assuming Clyde dragged you along?"
Before Kanade could speak she had noticed Clyde moving his hand to catch her attention, she looked up to see him mouthing the words, 'no.'
"I uh… I actually came here on my own accord."
"So you've come to join the squadron?" Aya exclaimed with glee, her eyes brightened with relief and enthusiasm,
"N-no, I-I mean uh yes. Yes I have…. What's the squadron?" Kanade asked,
"Oh my god! You don't know its team of rag tag people from the school who-" Aya was stopped in her rambling by Clyde,
"JESUS CHRIST AYA! I have never seen you so damn excited over a new recruit."
"Shut up Clyde! Do you know how long it's been since a girl joined!" She exclaimed in her stern voice once again.
There was a long silence that filled the room almost all the students stared at her wide eyed and in shock,
"Hey are you sure she doesn't have a few screws loose?" Clyde whispered to Otonashi,
"I think she might be sick," Otonashi whispered back,
"I don't think you get sick in the afterlife," Clyde whispered.
"I can hear you," Aya said sternly,
"I mean in all honesty this is the first time you've acted like this," Lee stated. Lee was a muscular kid, he ripped the sleeves off his shirt to flash his masculinity, and he had a well-structured face and red hair that was spiked backwards, and his eyes were as crimson as hair. He wore a piercing on each ear and leaning in arms was as staff the bore a blade about a foot long on both sides.
"Yeah, you kind of had this stern attitude for about as long as we knew you, you've never snapped like this," Hisashi Claimed. Hisashi was a young but skilled kid, he was the most graceful of the bunch he had short blond hair that brushed to the left of his face and barely covered his eyebrow. He had dark blue eyes, and he wore the same uniform as Lee only he had the long sleeves still intact.
"ENOUGH!" Otonashi yelled. Almost immediately the room was silent, "The Squadron is a team known as SSS it is basically it is the unit that attacks and defends against the Shadows, That's the short version. However we are running low on members so if you would like to join then by all means do."
"What do I do," Kanade thought, "if I help them I may possible be obliterated but I won't be going to heaven, however if I don't join then I may not find out more about who I am. More about Otonashi… I have to have met him before but where, how, why?"
So what do you say?" Otonashi said as he slipped a release paper on the table and placed a pen beside it, "if you join then you obligate yourself to fighting against the Shadows."
Kanade's heart raced, she was pressured she didn't know whether to join or proceed about her day as an average student. She paused for a moment and stared blankly, "the students, they were all part of a… rebellion, what was it called? Damn surely if I join, it would be like the students that and disobeyed, but do I want anarchy…. If it's the way that all the other students passed, maybe I'll find my own way, and maybe more about who I am." Kanade moved toward the table and sat down diagonally to Otonashi and beside Lee who stared at her with a grim and almost aggressive look. Otonashi slid the paper and pen over to Kanade; she picked up the pen and signed 'Tachibana.' Otonashi picked up the paper and examined it.
He smiled warmly, "Looks good," he said. Everyone smiled and was relieved that they had another member in their squadron. Otonashi extended his hand to Kanade, she gripped his hand and shook it, "Welcome to the SSS."