Note from the Author!
Another week has flown by! I got great reviews on my last chapter, especially the plot twist! Well my dear readers, the twists are just beginning! This chapter starts off exactly where the last one ended. The plot is really starting to shape up well, and I hope it continues to evolve. Without further ado, I present to you: Chapter Seven!
-{Chapter Seven: What's a date?}-
Otonashi stared at TK in shock. "H-How… Do you know… That… That name?" He spoke slowly.
TK just stared at Otonashi with his unmoving bloodshot eyes.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!" Otonashi yelled, grabbing TK by his collar and shoving his face into his. TK just kept staring off into the distance.
"Yuzuru! Calm down!" Kanade said pulling Otonashi away from TK holding him in a strong grip, "He's gone again!"
Otonashi stopped struggling and collapsed on the floor, gasping.
"A-Are you ok Yuzuru?"
"…I think so… sorry I freaked out like that. It's just when I heard her name after so long…"
"Hatsune Otonashi… She's your younger sister right?"
"…Yea." Otonashi said with surprise. "How'd you know that?"
Kanade blinked. "…I-I'm not sure… Lucky guess?"
Otonashi stared at her for a moment before getting off the ground. "We should go report what TK said to Yurippe. I'm sure she'll want to know what we found out."
Kanade just shrugged and followed Otonashi out of the dorm.
Otonashi and Kanade stood in the SSS HQ, reporting what TK had said to them although they left out the part about Otonashi's craze).
Yurippe listened to them attentively, jotting down a few notes on a pad of paper in front of her.
As the two finished their report, Yurippe sat back on her chair, thinking.
"It seems that your sister is mixed up in this whole mess Otonashi."
"Yea seems to be the case."
"Could you tell me a little about her?"
"Sure. She was 13 when she died. She was bedridden because of cancer when she was 11. She had red hair, like me and loved to read. She read a lot manga I bought at the store. She always had the dream of going to school and having friends. She… She's probably part of reason why I'm here in the first place…"
"… This sounds really familiar to me for some reason…" Kanade said.
"Huh?"
"I-I don't know why… but I feel as if… Someone had told me this already… a long time ago…"
"Hmmm…" Yurippe thought. "Could it be possible?"
"Huh? Could what be possible?"
"Could it be possible… That your sister could have come here after she died?"
Otonashi stared at her in shock, his body frozen . "I mean… i-it's possible…"
"Well from what you told me, it sounds like she fills out the prerequisites. She was a teenager when she died, it sounds like she didn't have much of a childhood and from what you told me, she wanted to have friends and have a normal childhood. Not to mention that people here recognize her, or at least the name. If that doesn't sound like a person who would come here, I don't know who would."
He just still stared at her, frozen in place. Could… Could Hatsune have come here?
Otonashi blinked and when he opened his eyes again he was on the ground with the two girls surrounding him. "Yuzuru! Are you okay?!" Kanade asked, her eyes filled with fear.
"Y-yea… I must have collapsed or something."
"Well, telling you that one of your dead relatives could have stood right where you are AFTER she died is a bit of a shock to the system." Yurippe said grinning.
"I guess so…" Otonashi responded getting on his feet, staring at the floor. "Hey, wait a second. If Hatsune WAS here does that mean-"
"She could be here now?" Kanade interjected, "Probably."
Otonashi was silent. He inhaled slowly and in long breaths. He shakily picked up his head. "I've got to find her."
"Don't worry we will but… not today." Yurippe said.
"Why not? We should start looking ASAP!"
"You're in no condition to go hunting down anyone. You just woke up a few hours ago and you've already collapsed twice!" Kanade said, her voice full of concern.
"I-I'm fine." Otonashi said taking a shaky step.
"No you're not." Yurippe said he voice booming. "As your commanding officer, I order you to take the day off."
"But-"
"No buts. Take the day off Otonashi. You're no help to anyone if you can barely stand up."
"…Fine."
"Don't worry Otonashi, I'll get the rest of the SSS on the hunt. If your sister is in the Afterlife, we will find her."
"Okay… Thanks Yurippe."
"No problem. Now go enjoy the rest of the day off," Yurippe said a smile crossing her lips, "You too Kanade. Enjoy a rest, you've earned it."
"Alright, thanks again Yurippe."
"Don't mention it! Now go! Daylight's fading!"
After the two had left the SSS HQ, Yurippe pulled out her radio. "Yusa? Are you there?"
The radio crackled, "I'm here Yurippe."
"I need you to bring Shiina to the HQ."
"Roger."
Yurippe reattached the radio to her waist. If anyone knows about… before, Yurippe thought, it's her.
"So what do you want to do?" Kanade asked.
"Hmmmm… I dunno. I've never really had a day off before."
"True… You've always been doing SOMETHING with the SSS. Most of them involved you dying one way or another." Kanade said, earning her a small grin from Otonashi.
"Hey, I Know! We can go on a date!" Kanade exclaimed.
"W-What!?"
"Well, we never really went on one before, and almost no one knows we're together, we might as make it official. I'm sure no one would think it would be odd."
"True… Alright let's do it! It'll be fun!" Otonashi exclaimed.
"Great!" Kanade said with a grin. "Uhhh, by the way do you know how to have a date?"
"…No."
"Me neither…"
The two sighed in unison. "Okay, who do we know that can help us with this…"
As if there was some godly force listening to them, two figures came rushing around the corner. The smaller of the two was on top the larger one (who was screaming). The two figures raced past Otonashi and Kanade.
"Hinata?"
"Yui?"
"Hey guys!" Hinata yelled "Little help here?!"
After Otonashi and Kanade had pried the two apart, Otonashi asked "Hinata can you help Us with something?"
"Sure! What's up?"
"Can you help us plan a date?"
"So you two want to have an awesome date? I'll teach you!"
Otonashi and Kanade were in Hinata and Yui's dorm room, although calling it a dorm room was stretching it a bit. A better description would probably be dance club. In the small space the two had managed to put in strobe lights, huge speakers and a stage complete with a mic and guitar.
"Ummm… Quick question before we begin. Where the HELL did you guys get this stuff?"
"I have a friend in the guild who… let's say owes me."
"…Blackmail?"
"…Yes…"
"Ok enough about that!" Yui Interjected "It's time to teach you two how to date."
Hinata pulled a poster covered in writing from the closet. "This is a three-step process. Are you two willing to go to extreme lengths to become masters of dating?"
"Uhhh, I guess so?" Kanade said with confusion.
"Alright! Step One! Find someone to go on a date with!"
Otonashi put his arm around Kanade. "Done."
"Step Two! Ask the person out on a date!"
"Hinata we already did this-" Otonashi said
"Do it again!"
"O-kay?" Kanade said, still clearly VERY confused, "Yuzuru will you go on a date with me?"
"Sure."
"Now for the final step!" Hinata exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose.
"…Which is?"
"Find out something you both would like to do together!"
Kanade and Otonashi stared at each other.
"Shooting?" Otonashi suggested
"No. Gardening?"
"Uh-uh. Training?"
"Nah. Studying?"
"Okay, guys let me stop you right there. Those are good but, uh-"
"They suck and they're boring" Yui interjected.
"Hey!" Otonashi said, annoyed, "At least they're not as weird as SOME PEOPLE'S idea of fun!"
"In any case," Hinata said, giving Otonashi the evil eye, "There must be something you two enjoy doing together. You've probably already done it before!"
As Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other, an idea began to form in both their heads.
"Mapo Tofu!" they exclaimed together.
The two ran out of the room together Otonashi yelled back "Thanks Guys! We owe you one!"
After the two had left Yui turned to Hinata. "Three-Step process? It was basically only one step."
"Three-Step processes are cooler."
"You're such a moron."
"And that's why you love me." Hinata said giving Yui a kiss on the cheek.
"You're sure you don't remember anything?" Yurippe asked.
Shiina shook her head. "If I had any memories of Hatsune Otonashi or Akio Suke, they're gone now."
"Damn." Yurippe slammed her fist down on the desk. "I thought that telling you those names might have triggered something like TK."
"I'm sure that I was here before the rest of you, but I can't remember anything after the day I woke up in the cave and battled you guys.
"Alright thanks anyway Shiina. Try to see if you can get some of your memory back alright?"
"Understood" As Shiina turned toward the door to leave she suddenly stopped and looked at Yurippe again with a frown. "I-I think I just remembered something."
"Really?! What is it?"
"It's hazy, but, I remember sitting in the cave we fought in with a group around me. I- I can't remember the exact faces but I'm sure that one of the girls had red hair."
"Really? That sounds like Hatsune!"
"I-I also remember another one of them… Another girl... with white hair." Shiina's eyes were opened wide. She stood paralyzed, in shock of her own hazy memories.
"The other girl… It's Kanade."
Kanade and Otonashi sat down at their usual table with two heaping plates of Mapo Tofu.
"Let's Eat!"
As the two chowed down, Otonashi noticed that he was able to eat more than a few bites of it before he overheated.
"I think I'm getting used to the taste. It doesn't seem as spicy anymore."
"It was never all that spicy to me in the first place." Kanade said with a grin.
"It still amazes me that you can eat so much without burning your tongue off."
"I told you, I ate it a lot as a kid."
"Yea. Oh, you got a little on your face."
Kanade went to go wipe it away but Otonashi stopped her. "Let me." He picked up a napkin and wiped the sauce off her face. It was a simple gesture but it made her blush.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Besides you look cute when you blush." This only caused her to blush even more. "See, now you look really cute."
Kanade giggled. "Thanks Yuzuru. You look great too."
"Am I as cute as you?"
"Yes, you are." Kanade said, laughing.
"Aww, Thanks!"
Suddenly Kanade leaned into Otonashi and kissed him, her warmth spreading through his body.
Kanade and Otonashi were walking to Kanade's dorm, arm in arm. They had talked for a while in the café and afterwards had danced outside the Gildemo practice room.
"Thanks for a fun night Yuzuru."
"My pleasure. I had a great time too."
"Yea, we should do this again sometime!"
"Count on it!"
The two had stopped in front of Kanade's dorm room.
"Well this is your stop."
"Yea." Kanade smiled. "One last kiss to end the night?"
Otonashi grinned, "Sure."
Otonashi leaned in to Kanade and kissed her. The two had kissed many times that afternoon and it always made Otonashi's chest feel warm.
"Well, night!" Otonashi said slow walking away from her.
"Yuzuru…"
"Huh? What's up Kanade? Your face is all red. Are you getting a fever?"
"Yuzuru… It's just that… It's so late already... and I was wondering…" Kanade's face blushed furiously, "I-If you wanted to… sleep here tonight."
Otonashi stared at her like she had grown a second head. "I-I mean if you don't want to-"
She was cut off by Otonashi's kiss. "Of course I'll stay here."
"Yuzuru!" Kanade said her voice filled with emotion, "I-I love you!"
"I love you too Kanade." Otonashi said with passion. "I want to spend an eternity with you."
~End of Chapter 7~