A/N: Sorry for the late post. No excuses, I just could not write a single word. Writer's block is the worst enemy of all time.

Anyway, in response to some readers, the amount of references to P3 will be cut down. That last chapter was just literally off P3. As for those who caught all references... yes, you might want to step outside for a change and get fresh air. I, myself, who came up with such ridiculous references, shall admit myself to a psychiatric ward.

While I do love the idea of Atlus taking up the idea to make an Angel Beats! game, I seriously doubt they would be able to capture the full scale of what the game could be. Even if they did follow something like my idea, there are just too many variables to consider. A project like that would take at least two years to realize. Too long. Not to mention over budget. Fan-made projects would be awesome, but the lack of people able to do it is very depressing. It would take an army of desperate fans, willing to shell out their own money and free time, to work on a project that would probably never give them profit, only to entertain themselves and others like them. Such is the sad reality of life.

In response to TwJ , you raise very good points and I am sure some other readers out there are wondering the same thing as well. The references to P3 were not meant to reflect the game, but rather the story within P3. Sure, Messiah is the obvious bad ass Persona to use in the game, but in the story Messiah does not even show up (he is like a secret weapon that the developers put into the game to make the players aim for the ultimate weapon). Like in the soon-to-be-released anime adaption of P4, the main character is probably going to stick to using Izanagi, not switch to another Persona. The darkness of death within the hearts of the restless souls, something that I am playing with in my story, fits Thanatos perfectly. Plus, Thanatos is a crazy Shadow that out-right kills the first Shadow in the game thus it would stand that Thanatos is an excellent choice, in addition it shows a Shadow can defeat another Shadow no matter what weapon or attack it uses. For weapons, it is better to have each character limited to one melee, one side arm, one medium range weapon and one special. There are certain special characters that would be entitled a wider variety of arsenal though they are few and would normally appear more often in the story. I just 'borrowed' the P3 characters in honour of Maeda Jun's attachment to the Persona series.

I hope this answers your questions, enjoy this chapter!

Angel Beats!

What We Live For

Operation 17

Unanswered doubts

"Good work, four of you. Although two of the Shadows were reported to have been altered, it seemed that there was no need to worry after all!"

Iori congratulated them after their report back. Still, although they had completed the request, it was still a rather difficult thing to accept. The two Arisato's power, that is.

"Don't tell Iori about this, alright? We'll treat you to some nice food if you promise."

That was what Hamuko pleaded to them right after the battle.

"We'll explain it later, so please don't say a word."

There wasn't much to say anyway. And so the two new members of the Wolves did not say a thing about the event to Iori during the report.

[Kusanagi Yamato promoted to Private]

[Katsuragi promoted to Private]

[Arisato Minato promoted to corporal]

[Arisato Hamuko promoted to corporal]

[Request complete]

[Gain 1000 MT]

[Gain Big-Site vouchers]

The four left the room and headed down to Guild.

"We'll explain along the way. Minato and I need new weapons anyway."

Hamuko said as they headed towards the tunnel. The four climbed down the entrance to Guild, the tunnel F4 having reopened long ago. As the group headed down the tunnel, Hamuko decided to explain.

"The Shadows aren't something that are foreign to this World. It is in fact a part of the soul."

Hamuko started off as they walked along the tunnel.

"All of this is obvious to the squad leaders and division heads. The older members all know that as well. This World is a place where restless souls come to find peace from their former lives and this World is like a place specially made to facilitate that process. But because humans would always have doubts, would always have their mind and hearts clouded by guilt, sins, regrets and of death. Humans are never free of the endless cycle of despair, life and death. It is just the way it is."

"So... the NPCs are human?"

Yamato asked.

"Some NPCs were human that were converted by Shadows, but we cannot say all are. Perhaps the NPCs are able to accumulate the darkness that grows within us all in order to give us peace but something went wrong and they transformed into Shadows. Or maybe they were meant to transform into Shadows all along, forcing us to face the darkness within us all. There is no right or wrong answer for us at this point. All we can do is to continue fighting."

Hamuko replied, her tone slightly trailing off. An endless cycle of fighting. It seemed that Hamuko also had the same idea that they would be continuously fighting as well. It was like everyone in the organization had given up the prospect of this war ever ending. For Minato and Hamuko, they seemed to come from a place where fighting was all they did. Yankee? Biker gangs? They didn't look like it. They were used to using melee weapons so were they from a time before the introduction of guns? No way, that was more than four hundred years ago. Even this warped World did not allow something like that. Then what?

"What about those Shadows you summoned?"

Yamato asked. Hamuko smiled sadly as she closed her eyes.

"... Thanatos. To Minato and I, it is something that sleeps within us. It is something that we swore never to let out. The harbinger of death. The reaper of Nyx. The demon that is despised by all humans yet welcomed deep within their hearts. It is darkness that sleeps within Minato and me. It is the pain we endured during our lives and the burden we bear even in this World. In other words, it is the manifestation of our souls. But like I said earlier, Minato and I are special. We had this darkness in us during our lives, and by utilizing the Angel Program, we are able to materialize it here."

"By special, did you also mean in reference to the circumstance of your deaths?"

Yamato questioned. Katsuragi had completely forgotten about that part. The circumstances of Hamuko and Minato's death. Hamuko did say that there was something 'special' about that. Hamuko smiled a little and nodded.

"Yes, it does relate to our deaths."

Again, Hamuko's tone seemed to be telling them not to pry any further into that. It was probably something that she did not like. Yamato seemed to get the hint and did not question any further. The four of them reached Guild and it was here that they parted ways.

"We will go see Musashi for our new weapons. We need an upgrade anyway. We will see you guys some other time. Invite us for your requests if you think you need help. We will always be glad to help out."

Hamuko smiled and left with Minato.

[Arisato Hamuko left party]

[Arisato Minato left party]

"... Let's go."

Katsuragi said, turning to find the fitters. As the two of them walked into the Fitters' area, they noticed that the workbenches of the Fitters were all but empty. Save for one. Cleaning the barrel of a rifle, the young man seemed to be a little too focused on his job that he did not notice the two Wolves members approach his bench.

"... Erm... excuse me?"

Yamato tried to catch his attention, but it did not seem to work.

".. Ahem... can you help us?"

She tried once more. This time, the young fitter looked up. Katsuragi remembered this person. He was the one giving the orientation to them back then. He was also the one working on the sixth division's leader, Kurogane Kou's weapons. If he remembered correctly, his name was Gen.

"What is it?"

He snapped, clearly not in a good mood. He did not look to be in a good mood ever. But Katsuragi did note that he was different around Kou. He was... somehow less defensive around her. Why was that?

"So, you two pups need to get your fangs, huh? Fine. Pass them over."

Gen said, opening up his palm to them. Though Yamato felt slightly insulted by being called a 'pup', she nonetheless handed over her bottle of black essence, as did Katsuragi. Gen looked at the two bottles carefully, inspecting them as though they were some weird scientific object that has yet to be discovered.

"Hmm... Black essences. Rare. In addition, there seems to be quite a lot of it. Condensed into such a form, even one small portion is capable of making two fangs. Alright, let's get down to it."

Gen took the first bottle-

"Done."

FAST! THAT WAS TOO FAST! Katsuragi and Yamato did not even blink and yet even the space of less than a split second, Gen was done with two fangs. What just happened? Could someone please explain it to Katsuragi and Yamato before they-

[Yamato has crashed]

[Please reboot]

Too late. With Yamato now out of action due to the inability to comprehend what just happened, it was up to Katsuragi to ask what Gen just did.

"Hm? All I did was to take some essence and compress it into the shape of a fang. Since the essences you found were already condensed, it did not take much to make them. Here, I'll even throw in the chain."

Gen passed the fangs and two chains to Katsuragi, though Gen did not really answer the question Katsuragi asked.

[Obtained Fang (atk +5) ]

Before Katsuragi could ask any more, Gen went back to cleaning the gun barrel and ignored anymore attempts of communication by Katsuragi. Left with no choice, Katsuragi had to leave. Since Yamato was more or less frozen in place with nothing but the whites of her eyes showing, Katsuragi had to borrow the nearest hand truck trolley to carry her out. It was like moving a mannequin, though heavier. For now, Katsuragi figured that they should head back. There was just too much to handle at the moment, not to mention think about. Katsuragi still could not get what Hamuko said to them before. Shadows were part of human nature. That they were the darkness within them all. What about him? Katsuragi had to wonder if he would ever face his own darkness. And if so, would he be ready for it? To face his own darkness would be to face his own past. The truth of his own existence. Was he ready to accept that?

In the World of the Living

"... Now what is this suppose to be?"

Yuzuru asked, feeling as though he was experiencing deja vu.

"Kamiya-kun, you ask a lot of questions. Are you sure you managed to get into this school with top scores?"

Yuri asked in a slightly disappointed tone.

"I'm not questioning this thing directly. I'm just questioning your motives with strapping me to this chair together with five stores worth of fire works around the bottom."

Yuzuru asked, though he really shouldn't be. And yes, he was strapped to a chair with enough gun powder at his feet to cause a crater in the roof of the school, which was where they were currently at.

"I tried getting rockets and rocket fuel but NASA would not let me. Besides, it costs too much so I bought the cheaper alternative."

"You tried calling NASA? Are you nuts?"

"I told them I was trying to send someone to the sky but they immediately put down the phone. How rude can they get?"

"No no, I don't think it is about being rude here... your motives are still very questionable."

"My motives? All I'm trying to do is get you to go to the other side."

Yuri simply replied.

"AND SO YOU WANT TO KILL ME BY BLOWING ME UP? !"

"Sigh, are you stupid?"

Yuri asked.

"You're the one who's stupid! Untie me now before I die!"

"You won't die (though that is the whole point of getting to the other side), just go flying up into the sky and so you will not explode, unless I made a mistake in the calculations."

"... I thought I heard something extremely evil in that sentence. Might I ask what calculations did you get that from?"

Yuzuru asked, though he really shouldn't be. Again.

"This."

Yuri replied, taking out a children's picture book that had the title 'Going to the moon with Dora*mon'.

"THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A FICTIONAL CHILDREN'S COMIC!"

"It still has real life applications. All comics and stories base their ideas on real life things."

"BUT THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WRONG! What sort of real life application does a robot cat from the future that has an infinite number of weird gadgets in its pocket have in relation to strapping me to a chair covered with rockets? !"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will not be wrong. The physics and mathematical calculations are all applicable in real life."

"And might I ask what were your scores in the last exam for those two subjects?"

"I failed."

Yuri answered without hesitation, causing a brief moment of silence and shock before-

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Oh, don't be such a wuss. Flying into the sky is nothing new. Humans have always tried to reach places they cannot be. Think about it, you'll be the first person to fly in a rocket chair."

"I don't want to think of it! And besides, what does flying into the sky have to do with getting to the other side?"

"Because don't they say that heaven is in the sky?"

"NO IT ISN'T! PEOPLE FLY IN PLANES IN THE SKY AND THEY AREN'T IN HEAVEN!"

"Well, you'll blow up in the sky, which is the closest point to heaven."

"SO I WILL BLOW UP AFTER ALL!"

"Sheesh, don't be so pessimistic. What, were you some pessimistic teacher constantly in despair even though he is surrounded by beautiful high school girls who all are in love with him but he doesn't notice it and tries to commit suicide on a daily basis in your previous life?"

Yuri asked all within the same breath, which is quite a feat. Which made Yuzuru puzzled by it.

"What are you talking about?"

After another timely rescue by Kanade, Yuzuru decided to have a little chat with Yuri. Just to make sure she knew what she was doing. Chances are, she doesn't.

"What is bothering you, Yuri?"

Yuzuru asked, sitting down on the chair that nearly sent him off into the sky, though by now it was disarmed and now nothing more than a simple chair. Really. Just a chair.

"Nothing is bothering me."

Yuri said, tinkering with the would-be switch of death for Yuzuru. Luckily it was disarmed. Or so Yuzuru hoped.

"Something is clearly bothering you. Your plans are never this flimsy and... never this crazy."

'Crazy' may not be the right word in this case.

"... What do you think of life? And of that World?"

Yuri suddenly blurted out, catching Yuzuru off guard.

"T-that... that's a very abstract question, don't you think?"

Yuri looked lifelessly at Yuzuru.

"Yuzuru... you really don't know anything, do you?"

"Er... that is..."

"... What we discovered in that World... What that World truly is."

Yuzuru did not know what Yuri was trying to say, but he did know the answer to that.

"... A world for people to get over their regret... isn't that right?"

Yuri smiled sadly at the answer, closing her eyes.

"If only it were so... The darkness of our hearts. The hatred, despair, anguish... That World is a accumulation of that darkness that lies within our hearts. It feeds upon our fears, preys on our weaknesses. That World isn't there to save our souls. It is there to torment us further. It is there to judge, to torture us, haunt us with our past. Yuzuru, I fear for those still there. They do not know what true horrors that World is capable of. That World reacted to us when we were there. It rejected our being and tried to eradicate us. The more we fought back, the tighter it squeezed. It is an endless cycle. Those kids are only pushing the balance further to the brink. Soon, it would prove to be fatal."

Yuri said slowly, but she did not need to Yuzuru knew that well. He knew a lot about that World, having been the last one of the original SSS to leave. In fact, he knew more about that World than Yuri. But... what Yuri said was right. That World was not meant to hold onto so many suffering souls for such a long period of time. The spiral of wars would soon reach its choke point. The only question is who will give out first?

"That is why I must go back."

Yuri suddenly said, getting to her feet.

"I must correct the mistake I made. This is something I must do, no matter what."

"Yuri-"

At that moment, the door to the club room opened and standing there were the other club members. All of them smiling with something within their eyes. An familiar sort of determination.

"Yo, Yurippe. Count us in. Your crazy operations were always handled by us. In this World of the previous."

Hideki smirked.

"Y-you guys... you remembered?"

Yuri asked, clearly shocked by this turn of events.

"Of course we did. There was no way we wouldn't remember it. We just didn't want you to relive those horrible days, so we kept quiet. But if Yurippe is serious about going back, we will help you. After all, didn't we say that we will follow you anywhere you go?"

Hideki asked and the other members all nodded in agreement. Though with the others, things would be easier, Yuzuru still had to make sure. He turned to Yuri,

"But Yuri, are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to forgo every single speck of happiness you have earned to get here in order to return? That place is a World of hatred and despair. It is a World where your past will come back. Are you sure you want to really want to do this?"

Yuri simply turned to him with a face of renewed vigour.

"The only ones who are allowed to shoot and those who are prepared to be shot at. This mess was something I created and I will see it end by my hand. This has not changed and it will not change. I did not come to earn all of these luxuries of bliss by quietly turning a blind eye to my past. How can I claim to be happy where I am if the path I took was filled with so much blood and despair? I will not accept that. I will go to the depths of that hell if need be to change it all. Are you with me, Yuzuru?"

Yuzuru was a little surprised by her reply, and seeing her now, he should have known that this day would come. Seeing her out-stretched hand, offering it to him just like that day when he arrived in that World. It was the same. Yuri was still the same person, no matter what. Yuzuru smiled, having been defeated by this girl. Yuri was the only person he could never win. He took that hand.

"... Always."

Yuri smiled at his answer.

"But how are we suppose to get back? One does not simply walk into the Afterlife."

Hideki said. But Yuzuru already knew the answer. He knew it all along.

"... That... leave it to me."

A/N: Those who got the references in this chapter should really... really get out more often.