Chapter 2
"Kenta, get ready. They're making a move."
"When? I don't see them doing anything right now."
Otonashi admired the early morning sunrise. "You haven't heard? There's going to be a concert this evening. They're prepping for Operation Tornado."
The angel in disguise groaned, massaging his temples "That AGAIN? How much fun could blowing away meal tickets be?"
Kenta walked off, visibly frustrated at the evening to come.
"This is necessary. If their group is anything like my SSS, doing these things will bring them closer to being at peace and finally moving on." Otonashi gazed out at the horizon, and a sad smile crept onto his face.
In the HQ of the SSSII
"Well Neku, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the current members of class SSSII."
Neku sat in a room, surrounded by multiple teens roughly his age. The people in the room seemed to all be a mix-match of kids from all reaches of the social ladder.
"This gentleman here is Hikaru Ayako."
Neku glanced at the first boy in question. He wore a brown jacket over a white button down shirt, and blue slacks. His sneakers were a white and blue covering his large feet. Judging by the other males in the room, this was their uniform.
If his height was an indication, he was young, maybe younger than Neku. Someone as short as his couldn't be much older than a first year. His brown hair was spiked in multiple directions. Hikaru beamed at Neku.
"It's nice to meet you Neku!" the boy exclaimed with a childish delight, nearly jumping as he spoke.
"...Hi."
On Hikaru's right was another guy, no a girl. Neku wasn't quite sure of their gender. The teen had violet hair that they wore at neck length, which had black tips. Untrusting eyes followed Neku, observing his movements.
Neku nervously smiled, wondering what he had done for the androgynous teen to stare so intently.
"The stiff over there is Yori Manami. She's usually the quiet one around here."
So she is a girl.
Yori continued to stare him down. As if her crimson eyes were peering into the fabric of Neku's very being, deciphering every bit of information she could acquire.
Geez I hope she's not always like this.
"In case you're wondering, yes she's usually like this."
How did she know what I was thinking!
Neku's thoughts were drowned out by a loud voice. The voice belonged to a tall male. He had curly hair, of a dark blond color. He was extremely thin, and looked awkward being so skinny for his height.
His companion was a pretty young lady with flowing red hair. Her hair fell to below her midsection, and split at the ends, resembling something like a dolphin's tail.
"The chatterbox is Ichirou Kokoro, start him on a conversation and it's damn near impossible to get him to shut up. His friend there is Aina Yamada."
Aina turned to Neku "Hello Neku! Pleasure to meet ya!"
Neku cringed.
Damn her voice is shrill. Did she even go through puberty yet?
"Minako! Where are the instruments?"
Neku turned toward the voice. In the doorway stood a brown haired male with green eyes.
"I can't find the instruments. How are we going to execute Operation Twister later?"
Operation twister?
"Megumi, calm down. Did you check the auditorium? You always forget to look in there."
Megumi facepalmed and walked off, grumbling something inaudible.
"That guy is Megumi Kagame. He's the male vocalist and lead guitarist of our diversion unit. He doesn't exactly have the best memory of our group, but we still love him all the same."
"What do you mean diversion unit? What purpose would a vocalist serve?"
"Well, allow me to explain that to you new guy." A young boy chirped.
He had poofy silver hair, and violet eyes. Something about him was irritating to Neku.
"What Raphael wants us to do is to lead an average school life. If we do that, we will eventually be eradicated from this world, ceasing to exist!" The boy dramatically wiped his forehead.
"Our diversion unit gets the other students, the ones not like us, away from our fight with him; that way they won't be harmed from any resulting destruction that might occur."
This is crazier than I thought. Students misbehaving to defy God? Am I seriously even thinking about joining these guys?
"By the way Neku, my name is Yoshiya Kiryu, but everyone around here calls me Joshua. I simply cannot wait to work with you. Breaking in the newbies is a pastime of sorts for me" Joshua snickered uncontrollably, and went off on his own merry way.
"I apologize for the prissy kid. He's a pain, but you get used to it."
"I don't like him." Neku stated dully. "Please tell me he's the only one here like that."
"Well fortunately for you, Josh is one of a kind. There's a few more members you haven't met yet, but I'll introduce you as you meet them."
Neku's stomach growled, demanding food.
"Well I suppose it is time for lunch. Hikaru, escort Neku to the cafeteria. We'll follow behind once we iron out the details for Operation Twister." Minako strolled to her desk and punched a button. As Neku left the room, he could see a large screen drop down from the ceiling as the whole room went dark.
The pair walked down the halls, an awkward silence between the two. Curiousity finally got the better of Neku "So Hikaru, what's Operation Twister?"
"Well it wasn't originally our idea. We found a laptop filled with various ways to defy Raphael. It was almost like someone left it behind for us."
In his room, student body Vice President Kenta Kiyoshi was on his computer. The false angel was typing away, and would occasionally click when prompted. The screen opened a window.
"ANGEL PLAYER"
Kenta lazily watched the loading bar fill, and began scrolling through the menu once the program was ready to go.
His door creaked open, and then shut. "Finally getting familiar with the program I see."
"Well, Otonashi, you did say I should develop some new skills. I thought it best if I became literate at all this Angel Player mumbo jumbo." Kenta stared intently at the screen, almost expecting it to come to life. "Any reason you're here? It's not often you come to visit me."
The President frowned "Well, it's about our deal. I know I promised to help you pass on, but I don't even know your life. We've been working side by side for the better half of a year and I hardly know anything about you other than your name."
The raven haired male ceased his work. Slowly, he shifted his seat until he was face to face with the other boy "You really need to know, huh?"
"I trust you as it is, but if I'm to keep up my end of our agreement I need at least something to know that you trust me equally."
He whispered "Take a seat. I'll tell you everything."
"I was an orphan. My parents died when I was 8, and left me alone with my brother and two sisters.
I began to take care of them, doing what I could to make sure they had food in their stomachs, and had some kind of clothing.
They appreciated every second of it, and it went on for 10 years. Nobody would take us in. When I was old enough, I started to look for a job, something to feed them. For the longest time, I had no luck. We would go through trash for scraps, and I would sometimes forsake eating a meal so my siblings could eat.
One day, I finally caught a break. I got hired at a new market opening up in the area. I joyously headed back to the shelter where my family was staying.
I was careless, overjoyed. I didn't notice the cars speeding on the street. No more than a block away, I was stuck by a car. That's the last thing I remember before waking up here. That's my life."
Otonashi sat awestruck. Due to the nature of this world, he had heard tales of several unfair lives before. He recalled the cruelty of the fates his former classmates were dealt. Yui, Yuri, and Iwasawa. No matter what though, it broke his heart every time to hear the story of someone close, especially in this world.
"Satisfied?"
Otonashi wiped the forming tears "I wish I didn't ask, but it was something I had to know." Otonashi stood, and leaned forward to embrace his friend "Just know this. You didn't deserve any of it."
He exited the room, and Kenta turned back to the program in front of him "Well now that's out of the way, maybe now I can develop a skill or something." and in a matter of moments, he was immersed in the complexity of the Angel Player program.
Later that evening, there was a gathering of students coming together. The sun coated the sky in a smooth crimson light.
In the school's auditorium, members of the SSSII were setting up.
"The one with the skull cap is our drummer, he hates his real name, so we all call him Beat.
"Yo" The drummer called out to Neku "So you're dat newbie I been hearin' so much about? You don' look like anythin' special."
I can hear the spelling and grammar errors...
"Our band is our diversion unit. We don't have too many members, so we alternate them in and out."
Neku observed the people on stage. From what he could gather, Beat, Hikaru, Aina and Megumi would be performing tonight.
"Megumi is our male vocalist, Aina does guitar and Hikaru plays bass."
"So what do we do since we aren't performing?"
Minako replied sternly "Well, the rest of us will be keeping Raphael at bay. It's our job to make sure he doesn't get to break up the concert before we can complete our operation."
Neku opened a suitcase laid before him. Inside lay various firearms, mainly among them a wide selection of pistols. Minako unlocked the case next to it and revealed several different rifles.
"Won't anyone question a bunch of students walking around holding a bunch of guns?" Neku said as his violet eyes scanned the rifle he held in his arms.
"The NPCs don't seem to notice. Almost like they don't even see them."
The weapon Neku held was a FAMAS. The weapon was modified to have a red dot sight and came with a foregrip to reduce recoil.
Content with his weapon, Neku randomly selected a pistol and loaded the weapon, storing it on his person.
Minako took charge once more "Neku, you and Josh take entrance B. Ichirou and myself will keep an eye on entrance C, Yori and Isamu get entrance A. Whatever you do, if you get into a confrontation with Raphael, do NOT bring him closer to the normal students. We can't risk harming innocents."
Great, I'm stuck with that prissy douche.
"Take this walkie talkie, we'll use it to keep in touch." Minako handed each group a small black device. It had a screen and two buttons for changing channels. "When you wanna say something, just push this button on top."
Neku pocketed the gift, and was greeted by his partner.
"Looks like I have the pleasure of working with you first Neku." Joshua winked at the boy "I hope I'm not too much to handle."
Is this guy gay or something?
Joshua chuckled "Come on new guy, we should get into position before our leader gets impatient."
"You're not taking a gun?"
Joshua laughed and revealed a large knife.
"I'm not too fond of guns. The weight of life shouldn't be measured by who can pull a trigger. You are right though, we might be fighting an angel. I'll bring a handgun for safety sake."
Josh and Neku made their way down a hallway. The corridor was pitch black, save for the illuminating light of the moon at the very end, which shone through the plexiglass window on the double doors.
Music started blaring, and the pair could recognize the roar of the crowd as the intro to their first song began.
"So you have amnesia, right?"
Neku retorted defensively "What does it matter to you? My memories are my business!"
"Woah, calm down spiky, I'm only trying to get to know my partner." The silver haired teen winked and broke into giggles again. Was teasing Neku really this fun?
"Josh, if you don't shut the hell up right now, I won't hesitate in shooting you."
"My my, dearest Neku, you would sho-"
A bang shattered the harmony of the concert's music.
"I warned him." Neku stated, a slight grin creeping onto his face. Josh was unfortunate that he'll come back to life, otherwise, the boy would never have shot him.
Neku's walkie talkie came to life "Neku, we heard gunfire, is everything okay?"
"Yea Minako, everything is fine. Joshua just pissed me off is all."
"So you shot him!" Yori exclaimed "Are you insane?
"A concert? Weapons? This won't do at all." A voice made itself apparant. Neku directed his focus at the newcomer.
He scrambled for his walkie talkie "Scratch what I said Minako! Raphael is here, I need back-up!"
The orange haired boy raised his rifle. The angel approached steadily, his crimson eyes reflecting the moonlight.
Out of fear, Neku shot, unloading a clip of rounds into his enemy.
"Guard Skill:Distortion"
The bullets bounced off the angel, ricocheting off into random directions.
He charged Neku with a superhuman speed "Guard Skill:Handsonic."
Barely evading being cut in two, Neku rolled out of the way. He found himself next to Joshua's limp body and grabbed a combat knife from the boy's lifeless hand.
As Raphael prepared to charge the boy again, gunfire roared the battlefield.
"Everyone, take positions!" The group separated, spreading out to surround the angel.
Everyone shot, but the angel was quick in evading the onslaught of lead.
Once he reached safety, he uttered a new phrase.
"Guard Skill: Holy Flame"
For a moment, the air grew thick. Explosions erupted, blowing Yori, Isamu, and Ichirou to bits, their bodies being scattered across the courtyard area.
Neku picked himself up, and mustered the energy to approach Raphael's blind side. Quickly assessing the situation and knife in hand, he lunged at the angel.
"Neku! What are you doing? Are you stupid?" Minako exasperated, stressed at the loss of her allies.
"He won't blow himself up at close range, and the bullets just bounce off! My best bet is taking the fight directly to him!"
Raphael twisted, his Handsonic clashing with the knife and locking blades. Neku gave ground, and darted to the side, flicking his wrist to grip the weapon backwards.
"Guard Skill:Handsonic Version 2"
Raphael's blade transformed, elongating and growing thinner along the main portion.
Neku closed in for a slash, pulling back his blade; Raphael quickly reacted, meeting the strike with his own weapon and performing a 360 spinning slash.
The youth crouched, dodging quickly enough to only have some of his orange hair cut from his head. Neku put all his force into an uppercut like slash, managing to only slice open the angel's uniform.
Visibly frustrated with the progress of the battle, Raphael raised his arm preparing to strike down his adversary.
Minako fired at Raphael, knocking him off balance and giving Neku the chance to scramble out of his range.
Raphael stood expressionless, eying his combatant. Lunging forward, he slashed horizontally, which would have cleaved Neku in two; however, he quickly reacted, leaping upward above Raphael's Handsonic and delivering a jump kick into the false angel's jaw.
Landing a few feet away, the fighters glared at one another, waiting for the other to make the next move.
Tickets blew from within the building, completely filling the sky, drawing Raphael's attention and allowing Neku an opportunity to charge and stab him.
Removing the blade from his heart, Neku watched as Raphael slowly collapsed.
"Be sure to send my regards to God!" Neku exclaimed triumphantly. Remembering the explosion earlier, he turned to the leader of the SSSII "Minako, are you okay?"
"Damn Neku, I'm just glad you're on our side right now. I've never seen him use that Holy Flame ability before. All of us were completely unprepared for that," rasped the blonde girl.
The area was completely reshaped. There was a huge crater where Raphael had detonated his holy fire, and meal tickets were littered across the concrete pavement.
"What do we do about the angel?"
Minako stood, catching her breath "Leave him, if we take him captive he'll only break loose. The purpose of this operation was to scatter the tickets, not apprehend Raphael. Besides, do you have any idea how he would react if he suddenly awoke as our prisoner?"
Considering this Neku inquired further "Do we have to take prissy boy back with us? If we do, I won't hesitate to shoot him again."
Minako let out a brief snicker, amused at the boy's attitude "Well I don't like the snobby kid either, but he's one of us regardless. When he's not getting his brains blown out by you he can be a competent fighter."
Rolling his eyes, Neku began to leave "He'll come back to life right? No need for us to move him then, he can take care of himself when he wakes up."
"That's awfully cold of you."
"What has he ever done for me? I hardly know the kid aside from the fact that his attitude is something I don't feel like tolerating. He's just a stuck up prissy kid, not much better than that angel."
Minako relented "If that's how you feel, alrighty then. See you tomorrow at HQ?"
Nonchalantly "Sure." Neku left the scene, leaving the carnage of the battle behind him.
The next day, a meeting was called in the SSSII HQ. Neku slowly arose from his bed, and put on his choice outfit. Since it was a weekend, he didn't need to wear the school uniform. He slipped on a pair of white shorts that fell just below his knees and sneakers with a black and purple color scheme. Instead of laces, the shoes had two belts for securing them to his feet. His top was a black and purple T-shirt that had a collar concealing his lower facial features.
Neku eagerly put on a pair of purple beats, the headset completing the look.
He made his way to the meeting, blasting some of the music that came with the headphones. He wasn't sure where or how found the clothing. They were sort of just there in his room. Still, he didn't mind, he thought the attire suited him.
Locating the building where the SSSII met, he entered.
The building was just like the others. Long hallways with walls painted white. The floors were a granite tile design consisting of various colors depending on the building. This floor was a reddish granite.
You know. Now that I think about it, why do they call themselves SSSII? Was there an original SSS before them or something?
At last, having reached the meeting room Neku turned the doorknob and allowed himself inside. He was met with greetings from the members.
"Well if it isn't the star of last night. That was some hell of fight. If I didn't know any better I'd think you had training." Neku turned to see he was being addressed by Minako.
The boy with the skull beanie approached him "I heard 'bout your fight wit dat angel! That sounded hella tight. You superman or sumthin'? Nobody ever fought Raphael and lasted like you did."
"Nobody has ever fought Raphael and won." Minako corrected "Your show of skill last night was impressive. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Neku wondered. He tried to find the memory but nothing came to him. "I have no idea. My memory is still fuzzy. When I confronted him, it all sort of just came to me. I was acting entirely on reflex, I think."
"Anyways, before we start, where's Hikaru?"
As Minako finished speaking, Hikaru burst through the doors "Guys, you gotta come down to the hospital wing!"
Aina questioned "What's the matter Hikaru?"
"It's a girl, I found her passed out in front of the cafeteria!"