Angel Beats! エンジェルビーツ!

Our Beats Incarnate

Book II: The Beachfront

Author's Note: I know it's unusual to have the notes at the beginning of a chapter, so please forgive me just this once.

First, I'd like to offer my most sincere thanks to AngelBeatsSSS. Her help as my Beta has been truly remarkable, and for that I'm extremely grateful. Keeping my butt in gear and on-track is no easy feat, and she's done an excellent job of keeping me on track.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everybody who reads this. During the writing of this chapter, Our Beats Incarnate managed to climb its way to the top of the Angel Beats! category in both number of favourites and number of follows. I never imagined that this story would become the favourite and most eagerly anticipated work in its category, and I thank you all for doing me the honour. At over 12,000 views and 96 reviews, it's also my most popular work by a long shot.

Thank you all, very much, for the privilege and joy of this achievement. I appreciate it.

So, without delaying you any further, here's the next chapter.

NKC

Chapter 4: The Spin-Off

Yuzuru awoke the next morning with a smile on his face so broad that it threatened to outshine the morning sun. His dreams had been so sweet and delightful, inspired as they were by memories of the previous evening's events, that he half considered just rolling over again and trying to rekindle them should unconsciousness try to reclaim him.

That thought was torn asunder the moment his alarm clock began to sound for breakfast, its shrill blare and whine drawing out a mournful groan as Yuzuru picked up his pillow and smothered his face in the hopes of blocking out the day.

The alarm ignored him completely.

"All right!" he shouted, throwing the pillow at his nightstand, knocking over the alarm clock and silencing it, "I'm up! Jeeze…"

He climbed from his bed with a yawn. But there really was no point in sleeping away his holiday.

-o-O-o-

The hotel had what basically equated to an oversized cafeteria which it set aside each morning for its famous sizable breakfast buffet. Basics such as toast, cereals, muffins, fruit juices, tea, coffee; all were help yourself. Though if anyone desired an actual cooked breakfast an order could be made from what Yuzuru had quickly come to learn was a very expansive menu. Everything from the traditional Japanese options to the Full English Breakfast, and a whole rainbow of options in between.

The day felt like it was shaping up to be a toast and marmalade kind of day.

Tray in hand, he didn't even have to bother queuing, slipping by several other guests as they placed orders with the chef to fish out a glass of fruit squash and a couple of napkins before moving over to the seating area.

At this point the room felt much more like a school lunch room than a hotel, filled with basic easy-clean plastic laminate tables and those strange rough-textured plastic chairs, fixed in place with a thick metal rod running the full length of the table.

It was late enough that quite a few of the tables were occupied, though still early enough to beat the majority of the morning rush. That gave him plenty of options.

"Yuzuru?"

The orange-haired boy spun around on his heel, eliciting a rubbery squeak from the soles of his shoes against the highly-polished tile floor, the calling of his name catching him quite by surprise. There, sitting at a table he'd managed to walk straight past without giving even a second glance, was Kanade.

"Oh, hey!" he smiled cheerily, genuinely pleased to see her. Although adorned in much less casual attire than during the previous evening, the small, sparkling smile which lit up her eyes lost none of its allure and beauty. It certainly wasn't the frame and trimmings which made this particular canvas a work of art; Kanade would have looked stunning even in rags and overalls, he was sure.

Yuzuru shook his head slightly, odd thoughts rattled loose from his mind and back to reality.

On the table before Kanade sat a breakfast tray with a fairly modest, if half-eaten, mixed fruit salad and a couple of slices of toast. Clearly she hadn't been here long.

"Mind if I join you?" Yuzuru gestured towards the vacant chair directly opposite Kanade's seat.

Shaking her head slightly and gesturing with her hand for Yuzuru to sit, he didn't waste a single moment in placing his own tray on the table and getting settled in. Truth be told, he was absolutely starving!

"Having breakfast together…" Yuzuru looked around the hall, trying to pick out any familiar faces – seemed unlikely in such a large hotel, but then again he had ran into Kanade, "Anybody who saw us last night will think we've never been apart." He kept his tone quiet, like it was some kind of secret plot, joking light-heartedly.

An unexpected blush flared high on Kanade's cheeks, and she turned her head to look down, slightly abashed. Yuzuru was puzzled for a moment. He'd been expecting a chuckle at the obvious conspiratorial joke, but instead it seemed to have embarrassed her – his joke was only supposed to suggest that-

Oh crap!

Yuzuru's eyes flared and his own reddened blush ignited with a vengeance as the penny finally dropped.

"Erm, I mean…" he tried to think of a way to clear up what he'd meant from what he'd actually said. He'd just implied that people would think they were sleeping together, "People will think we're always eating together…" he added lamely.

There was a brief instance, stretching out for a momentary infinity, in which an awkward silence threatened to engulf the pair – or at least, Yuzuru. Kanade appeared to be contemplating the very next victim to be plucked from her morning breakfast selection.

"So," Yuzuru offered, as a small, crisp triangle of toast made first contact with its demise under the ministrations of Kanade's appetite, "Got any plans for today?"

Kanade's eyes moved up to greet him, offering him little more than a slow chew and a long gulp in immediate reply. But a small sip of her drink returned her voice to full use once more.

"I'm going karting."

Yuzuru blinked. He couldn't have been more astounded if she'd told him she was planning to wrestle polar bears, "Karting?"

"Yes." Kanade nodded slowly, "Why the funny look?"

That caught Yuzuru completely off-guard. Naturally, she'd picked up on his carelessly expressed surprise – it made sense that somebody as good at keeping their own emotions under lock and key within would be adept at reading those self-same outwards signs in others, the tell-tales that even the greatest poker face could sometimes unintentionally proclaim.

But still, it was a very good question on her part. Not that Yuzuru didn't have an idea as to why he was shocked – somebody of Kanade's apparent timidity, temperament and build didn't generally strike him as the sort to take an interest in any form of motor-racing. Usually that was left to the adrenaline-pumped speed freak, right? But he didn't want to run the risk of offending her, his assumption based as it was based entirely upon an unfair stereotype.

At best, he'd come off as a patronising ass. At worst, she'd likely think him a sexist bigot.

The devil was in the detail

In the end, simple honesty reigned supreme, "You don't strike me as a petrol head."

For her part, Kanade's own response to that was a measured silence and a perplexed and typically blank stare. If she'd found the remark at all insulting she was either ignoring it or simply hiding the fact.

"It's something I got into when I was little," she explained at length, "I used to go karting with my dad. He said it played well off my reflexes and concentration."

Yuzuur nodded almost knowingly. After the incident with his stray arrow, he could certainly believe that!

"And what are you doing today?" She pressed him, before introducing a strawberry from her salad to its final conclusion.

Speaking through a half-chewed mouthful of toast and marmalade, Yuzuru's own response was barely understandable, "No plans." He returned to his rumination.

He picked up his drink for a sip to wash it down when Kanade's hands suddenly hit down at the table with enough force to send all of the cutlery rattling. Yuzuru spluttered as he nearly chocked mid-swallow, the suddenness of her movement catching him so by surprise that he'd tried to inhale a sharp gasp with his mouth still full.

An instant later, as he was coughing to recover his breath and avoid drowning in his own breakfast, Kanade was on her feet.

"Come with me." She declared, grabbing Yuzuru's hand and pulling him with a remarkable degree of force.

Yuzuru still struggled to breathe, even as she dragged him away from the table, breakfast apparently forgotten. He tried to launch off a protest about still being hungry, but between his struggles for breath and Kanade's dogged determination to show some uncharacteristic aggressive assertiveness his pleas fell entirely upon deaf ears, and his breakfast was condemned to the mournful "What If?" annals of history.

Where she was taking him he didn't know. Outside to strangle him, perhaps?

Maybe she had taken offence after all…

-o-O-o-

The karting track was a cavernous hangar-type building located on the far side of the resort complex. It basically consisted of a smooth concrete -surfaced course, twisting and tying itself in knots, an area where people could rent and change into overalls and a helmet, a large open-plan café, and a briefing area for new drivers. The entire building, though well-ventilated, retained a strong scent of unburned fuel and exhaust fumes. The resounding whir of two-stroke petrol engines and screeching of tyres on faux-tarmac were almost overpowering.

Until Kanade had dragged him through the doors, Yuzuru had honestly never considered visiting this place. But, in the five to ten minutes since they'd arrived, Kanade had managed to source them both a set of overalls – essentially just a bright orange jumpsuit, baggy and loosely fitted – and appropriately sized helmets, containing gloves and protective wicking headwear, which retained the acerbic odour of more than just a handful of uses.

Kanade obviously had more experience at this than he'd expected, because she was in her suit and heading to the small briefing area even as Yuzuru was still hopping around the place trying to get his second leg into his overalls. Not wishing to miss out on the pre-race briefing, Yuzuru somehow managed to manoeuvre himself over to where a small group were beginning to congregate, surrounding a dark-blue haired man with glasses and a serious expression on his face. The polo shirt he was wearing matched the usual resort staff livery, though it appeared to be a couple of sizes too small for the young man's physique.

"Good morning." He declared, pulling a clipboard out from somewhere behind his back, "My name is Takamatsu, and I'll be your instructor today."

He flipped over a leaf on his clip-board like he was reading a script, "To keep everybody safe whilst karting we have a few simple but strict rules." He began to pace back and forth in front of the attending group, not looking up from his board, "Helmets must be worn at all times when in karts. Safety harnesses are provided for your safety and are self-adjusting. Avoid contact between karts where possible – slam-panels are provided for your safety. Accelerator on your right. Brake on your left. Any questions?"

Kanade's hand shot straight up into the air, Takamatsu nodding towards her permissively, "How many laps?" she queried.

"There are three qualifying laps." Takamatsu checked over his clipboard again. Yuzuru couldn't help but wonder if he was new to the resort and didn't actually know any of this, or if he was just doing it for show. Either way, for a safety instructor not being familiar with the finer details wasn't a very inspiring demonstration, "Best lap determines starting positions. The race itself is fifteen laps."

Takamatsu peered around at the rest of the group with a questioning quirk of his eyebrow. But no other questions were forthcoming.

"Alright then." He declared, dropping his clipboard to the side and cracking a smile for the first time, "Go have fun!"

And with that, the briefing was over.

"Short and sweet," Yuzuru thought aloud, turning towards Kanade with a witty quip on his tongue, "Do you think that-"

But she wasn't there. As he looked up in the direction of the karts Yuzuru could see the distinctive platinum locks dancing free in barely restrained tendrils just beneath her helmet. She was already picking out her weapon of choice.

"Crap!"

With a start Yuzuru ran for the tracks.

-o-O-o-

After the three initial qualifying laps Yuzuru had to admit that he wasn't having all that much luck when it came to karting. He seemed to completely misjudge the corners, at least at first, either braking too hard and taking them too slow, or being a bit heavy on the throttle with his right foot and sending his kart into a screeching spin of reinforced rubber on concrete.

He'd come last in his qualifying group, whilst Kanade had managed a pretty respectable second. Not that Yuzuru was at all surprised once he'd seen her complete a few laps. She was aggressive, unbelievably focussed and completely unapologetic in her approach. She hadn't exactly cheated, but with zeal and a fair amount of force she'd "urged" people to move out of her way in order to attain her grid position.

The only person proving more ruthless was the young gentleman in pole position, who seemed to have a complete disregard for any of the other people on the track.

This is going to be one interesting race… Yuzuru couldn't help but smile inwardly, Even if I have no chance of winning.

By the time everybody had taken up their positions for the final fifteen laps it was clear that everybody was feeling the excitement, eager to get going. The tension as the overhead starting-lights came to life was almost palpable.

Red…

The sound of the little two-stroke engines revving in a concert of eager anticipation echoed through the cavernous hangar.

Red…

Yuzuru gazed up the centre of the grid. Everybody else had their full attention directed forwards.

Red…

Yuzuru tested his own throttle, the deafening roar of his kart urging on the adrenaline as it surged through his veins.

Red…

This was it. He felt the thick faux-leather of his gloves move against the lining of the wheel as he flexed his fingers. His left foot, firmly planted on the brake, held fast for the final moment.

Green!

With a deafening roar and a monstrous squeal, Yuzuru lifted his foot, and his kart rocketed down the grid, chasing glory and his opponents. His grin was enormous.

-o-O-o-

Thirteen and a half laps, and still Kanade found her efforts to win thwarted by the boy who'd taken pole position. Thirteen and a half laps of intense focus and drive, and all she'd managed to get for her troubles was a picture-perfect mental image of his rear spoiler, and a few new dents to the kart's bumpers and side slam-panels. Every time she'd gone for the overtake, every time he'd presented an opening for her to exploit, he'd closed the door on her at the worst possible moment in a manner that seemed almost deliberately reckless. Several times she'd had to fight to keep control of her kart, losing both momentum and ground, and having to do all the work to close the gap once more.

It was driving her to distraction, and she was running out of laps. And patience.

As they crossed the line to begin the final lap, Kanade decided to bide her time – knowing that her best chance to get by her competitor was the apex line on the third to last corner – and keep the pressure on. Between negotiating the track, holding her line behind the leading kart, and avoiding the stragglers as they lapped them, it was a truly exhilarating challenge. Beneath the guarded cover of her helmet, a satisfied smirk drew the corner of her lips upwards.

Soon enough the corner approached. And, ahead of the leader's kart, another of the trailing pack, occupying the inside line guardedly even on the final approach. She recognised the style instantly from the qualifying laps.

Yuzuru…

This was too perfect. She knew precisely what he'd do next – leaving it late to swing out wide so he could turn in sharply and take the corner as close to the apex as he possibly could – and that would work entirely to her advantage.

Acting quickly, Kanade moved out to her left, hoping to give the impression that she was going to try for the overtake before the corner, and then close the gap to force her opponent back. To her delight, he took the bait, moving out to the centre of the track to block her in and force her around the outside of the bend.

Kanade kept her distance, but didn't drop her line of attack.

And then, true to form, Yuzuru swung outwards.

Kanade seized her chance, flooring the throttle as the guy in pole slammed all on to avoid crashing into the back of Yuzuru's kart. Dropping her right hand hard, she crossed behind him with a gap of mere millimetres and capturing the inside line to take the apex.

Kanade was clear and away.

But her opponent was having none of it.

The instant she had passed by, he dropped his own right hand. His inside wing clipped her rear quarter, and that was all it took. Kanade's kart lost all grip on the track as it spun into a skid.

She closed her eyes as her kart hit the tyre wall backwards, hard.

-o-O-o-

Yuzuru could hear the approaching karts long before he could see them. And he just knew that he was about to be lapped by the two race leaders – again. Well, maybe he wasn't going to be world champion any time in the next century or two, but he was definitely having fun!

It was only as he swung out wide and began to corner that he realised something had gone terribly wrong. He heard the squeal of rubber tyres desperately trying to find grip, before an out of control kart cut across his path, hitting the outside tyre wall on the exit from the curve with a startlingly loud thud, sending tyres flying in all directions across the track.

Yuzuru slammed all on to avoid hitting anything, his own kart giving off a pitched cry of protest as it skidded to a straight-line stop. The roar of another engine as one of the karts that had been trailing him dashed by, dodging debris, drew a frown. How could anybody think carrying on was at all appropriate, given the circumstances?

And then Yuzuru recalled the clear aggression of the guy who'd taken pole during qualifying. He was definitely the remorseless sort – he'd probably have kept going if the track itself caught fire.

Which meant that the crashed kart had to belong to…

Yuzuru's eyes went wide as realisation struck, "Kanade!"

In as much time as it takes to draw breath, Yuzuru was up and out of his kart, his helmet off and tossed carelessly aside, running towards the crash. When he reached the beached, half-buried kart he felt a tight chill seize his rib cage in its icy grip – he couldn't see through the darkened tint of Kanade's visor, and she was completely motionless.

"Kanade…?"

In that moment, as it drew out before him like a blade, he felt the chill turn into a panic. Was she injured? Had she been knocked unconscious? Was she dead? Yuzuru's mind raced through some pretty awful scenarios.

But then Kanade's hands moved. Yuzuru was so surprised he almost jumped back.

Almost.

As his senses returned to him, Yuzuru realised that he could actually hear some soft mumbling from beneath Kanade's helmet. He couldn't make out the words, or even the tone, just empty formless mumbles.

Kanade rose quickly to her feet, reaching up and removing her helmet with surprising force, bringing the base-layer balaclava beneath off in the process. Her hair cascaded down around her shoulders, but it was the expression in her eyes that drew Yuzuru's attention. Rage, unlike anything he'd seen in her before. Even the usual calm placidity in her facial features reddened into a barely-contained blush of anger.

Kanade leapt out of her kart and onto the track, "That's sneaky, no good, cheating little bastar-!"

"Kanade!" The short girl was caught completely off-guard when Yuzuru simply grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arms' length. With a series of rapid blinks her anger dissolved, and she found herself meeting Yuzuru's eyes. Her expression softened further when she saw the concern they held, "Are you alright?"

"I…" she paused for a moment, only now taking stock. Nothing was wrong. She wasn't even sore. "I'm fine."

Yuzuru gave off a slight sigh of relief.

"He cheated…" Kanade began again, this time much calmer, though her outrage was clearly still there, "I was clean through, and he pushed me into a spin, the cheating jacka-"

The rest of her sentence was cut short by a loud blare from an air horn. Everybody's attention was drawn to the pit area, where a rather agitated looking track marshal was holding up a red flag. The race was clearly over.

Turning back to Kanade, one hand reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair from her eyes, the soft lopsided grin which slowly parted his lips betraying some mild amusement. Kanade looked up puzzled.

"Fragile and ferocious," Yuzuru began softly, "vulgar and noble at the same time." He couldn't help but recall so much from everything that had happened since he'd come to the island – so much mixed fortune; bizarrely fortunate bad luck. And his time with Kanade, "You're quite a compelling enigma."

She regarded him in silence for only a moment. "Is that a compliment?"

"It was meant as one." He placed his hand atop her head, "Come on," and he turned her to face the off-track section of the hangar, marching her forwards, "Let's get out of here."

The race was definitely over.

-o-O-o-

Yuzuru smiled inwardly as he walked Kanade back towards her suite. Somewhere along the way he'd plucked up the courage to take hold of her hand. It was an innocent enough gesture, though it had somehow shifted to the point where Kanade now had her forearm hooked through his at the elbos. Not that he minded, but it had turned their ambling walk into a slower-paced meander. Of course,that was by no means a bad thing, not in Yuzuru's opinion.

As they made their way Kanade was chatting away about the race, the close-calls and the near victory. Yuzuru found it amusing how serious she took the karting, and upon looking down, the slight little smile she was wearing told him that despite the unfortunate spin-out ending, she'd thoroughly enjoyed it herself.

Yuzuru was still looking down at her when she raised her head to regard him, "How did you enjoy your first proper karting experience?" there was an intonation of dry humour to her voice, as if she were trying to be playfully patronising.

Yuzuru's smirk widened into a complete smile, "I had fun."

Kanade nodded thoughtfully as they reached the main residential building of the resort. Stepping out of the tropical humidity and rising heat of the day into the crisp, air-conditioned environs of imported civilisation was a more than welcome respite.

Being at the height of the activity hours of the day, the hotel itself was almost completely devoid of other guests. They had the elevator entirely to themselves, and they rode it in comfortable silence.

But Kanade didn't release Yuzuru's arm until they were at her door.

"Say, Kanade…" Yuzuru began as she unlocked her door, "I was wondering…" he faltered as she turned back to face him, auric eyes full of curious wonder.

For some reason he suddenly felt nervous, though he wasn't quite sure why.

"Yes?" she prompted him.

"Would you like to eat with me?" This time, he really was asking her for an official date.

Kanade stepped forwards into his personal space, looking up into him with probing inquisition. Was she trying to read his thoughts? Yuzuru was a bit taken aback, but he didn't move away.

With surprising suddenness she rose up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. The blush that instantly flooded Yuzuru's cheeks felt so intense that he was worried for a moment the inferno would consume him on the spot.

She returned to ground level, "Yes."

Before Yuzuru could so much as muster his senses she had retreated into the confines of her suite, leaving Yuzuru in the hallway with a dozen more questions. But he was too detached from reality to care.

"Wow." His hand rose to his cheek, where the memory of her kiss lingered.

It felt a strangely familiar gesture, like it meant something significant, but he couldn't quite place it.

It was several minutes before he pulled himself together and headed for his own room, leaving the hallway in a peaceful, empty silence.

-o-O-o-

Chapter 4: The Spin-Off