A/N: It's been a long while since I last updated! Hope no one had scratched their brains out trying to figure out what is going on in my story. FEAR NOT! Everything will be clearer in this chapter! In fact... It will be clear within the first PARAGRAPH!
Life has been tough, but with the new year, it's time to tighten up our fundoshi and go head on with whatever this year may throw at us! Well, this may be late (mainly because I was too caught up with stuff at work and also with nights of long partying) but I'll be in your care this year as well. あけましておめでとう。今年もよろしく！
Angel Beats!
What We Live For
Operation 31
What Lies Beneath
"Kurogane... Kei?"
Katsuragi was confused by the presence of this person before him. He claimed to be Kurogane Kou's brother, but why appear before him? Why now? What was going on here?
"You look confused. That should be a given."
The boy who calls himself Kurogane Kei said with a smug look on his face. Something about that smug just pisses Katsuragi off.
"There is much to talk about and little time to actually talk about it... that sounds even more confusing. Where should I start from? Ah yes. You're not human."
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"HUH? ! ? !"
This guy... he just said something extremely incredible. Something beyond incredible. Something so out of context, incredibly impossible that it did not really register in his head.
"Right, onto the next point-"
"WAIT WAIT WAIT! JUST WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!"
Katsuragi shouted. What, did this Kei guy just ignore that incredible fact he just said out less than a minute ago? Don't ignore it!
"What is it now? I need to explain the next point."
He just ignored it! AGAIN!
"Don't just push aside the fact that you just said something incredibly ridiculous like it is mere dust! What do you mean I'm not human? !"
Katsuragi demanded. Kei sighed, shaking his head in dismay. Don't give that 'I-can't-be-bothered' attitude! Please be serious!
"Really, seriously, I don't have a lot of time to explain everything. Even the author has better things to type about than to explain a whole chapter's worth of things to you. Use your head a little, would you?"
"THERE ARE PLENTY OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE EXPLAINED! Even the author cannot be that lazy to skip the explanations! In the first place, THAT WAS TOO SUDDEN OF A PLOT TWIST TO REVEAL! Too many things are missing out so the readers are all left clueless about what is going on!"
Kei sighed once more, averting his eyes to one side. Really, is this how someone who is going to explain a very important issue be acting?
"Fine... let's do this again."
Kei muttered, straightening out his posture. Looking dead serious into Katsuragi's eyes, Kei looked very much like Kou now. So he really was her brother.
"You, Katsuragi... are not human."
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"Right, onto the next agenda-"
"THAT WAS NO DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST TRY!"
Katsuragi shouted. He was having to do tsukkomi after tsukkomi with this guy non-stop for the five minutes since they first met. What a vast difference from Kou. He would take his previous comment back. He is nothing like Kou.
"Tch, fine fine. Have it your way. Let's start from the very very very beginning."
Kei muttered, waving a hand and a chair just appeared in the middle of nowhere. He sat down on the chair and crossed his legs, mulling over his thoughts.
"Right, so as I had said twice before, you are not human. You never were. You're an NPC of this World."
That caused a lot of confusion in Katsuragi, as well as panic, fear, bewilderment. Every single emotion besides happiness all washed over him all at once. His mind went blank. What does he mean NPC? He couldn't possibly be an NPC. He didn't think like one, act like one, and even Tanaka didn't say anything.
"You're a very different kind of NPC, Katsuragi. One of a kind. Have you not noticed how everything seems either 'familiar' to you, or 'easier'? You are not human, but rather a being generated by a program."
"A... program? ... Me?"
Katsuragi was feeling a wave of panic surge throughout his entire self. No, this was all wrong. This has to be a dream.
"This is no dream, Katsuragi. You are not human. The memories, thoughts and emotions are all fabricated. I infused my soul into you to allow you to join the SSS2 so that you could be the one to guard my sister, Kou."
"Protect... Kou?"
"Yes. I cannot protect her as I am not fully part of the afterlife. I was a special case, much like 'him', floating around neither in life, nor in death. We were those rare cases of those that 'slip through the cracks'. And thanks to 'him', I was able to anchor my essence and existence into this Afterlife."
"'He'?"
"The student council president, Otonashi, had tinkered around with the system and the Angel Program. Not too sure what is going on through his head, but he usually does have a goal in mind."
"Oto...nashi?"
Somehow that name sounded familiar. Extremely.
"Yes, Otonashi. You could say that he's the one pulling the strings behind everything. Of course, this bloody war wasn't part of his plans. Otonashi then went ahead with testing out more advance features of the program, one of which was the creation of NPCs themselves. The first batch was botched, of course, you can never get things right from the very beginning. But Otonashi did not quit, taking the good parts of the first batch and made the second batch. Out of the second batch, only three were deemed successful. However two of them went on a rampage. Running amok without proper authorization. In fact, these two are the reason why the SSS2 are at war."
This fact made Katsuragi blink and stare. The real cause of this war?
"... What do you know of this World, Katsuragi?"
Kei suddenly asked, snapping Katsuragi out of his thoughts.
"Erm... that it is a place for regrets?"
"... Yes... and no. You see, humans can only live once. Then we are reborn back into the cycle. But what happens immediately after death? What goes on until we are reborn? Many people have sought to find out. Of course, no mortal can ever truly fathom the real nature of this place, but we can. We're dead and in your case, you aren't even human. This World is made up by humans. Every single human being has their own vision and thoughts on life and death. There isn't a single person who has not thought of what lies beyond life. The more they think about it, the greater their fears. The greater their fears, the stronger their desire to find the answer. Everyone has sought for answers. Humans have wishes, despairs, regrets... mainly emotions and feelings. Because we have independent thought that we create useless things not necessary for basic survival. And it is also due to this independent thought that we lose ourselves to madness. We desire more, fear the unknown and attempt to break laws that we have set in place ourselves. This World is made up of those feelings, those thoughts... those shadows in our hearts."
"Shadows..."
Kei nodded his head.
"Yes, Shadows. Shadows are part of this World, as are the NPCs. If this World was created by humans desiring for an Afterlife, then the NPCs would be the ones who ensure that this 'World' is constantly being maintained. Humans are social creatures by nature, so NPCs must exist in this World. Shadows are formed from either extreme darkness, or from an excess of it. An excess amount of darkness would cause an NPC to be distorted, twisted by the darkness into something that seeks to eliminate the cause of the excess darkness. That means humans coming to this World. Humans, unwilling to back down, created and used the Angel program to fight back. The Angel Program was something created a long time ago to harness the power of this World, in other words to manipulate the darkness of the heart, or what you would call 'essence'. By controlling essence, one is able to manipulate anything in this Afterlife. And I mean anything."
"... Including myself?"
Katsuragi was almost afraid to ask. Kei smiled and nodded.
"Yes, including yourself. However to create an NPC separate from the World like yourself, a lot of detail, time and effort need to be made. It was really a long process of trial and error but eventually Otonashi finally did it. He created three NPCs separate from the system. The two on rampage, and you. You are the true prize of Otonashi, and you are his last hope... you are everybody's last hope."
Kei said that last part gravely. What was happening? What was going on?
"Otonashi initially wanted to understand the system more, in a desperate attempt to reach an unattainable goal. I am not too sure what he meant by that since he never really told me himself. But what I do know is that he attempted to create NPCs that were more like human souls. But even in this World, playing God has its limits. Your... siblings, as I would call them, were corrupted by this World. They are, after all, made from this World. By absorbing too much hatred, despair and darkness, they went rampant and eventually became the cause of the SSS2's war."
"They... started this war?"
"Yes. Fortunately Otonashi was able to isolate your core program before the corruption reached it, allowing you to be spared the agony of being twisted like your siblings. Now they believe that they are sent by God to eradicate all humans whom they judged to be unworthy of living. Otonashi and I knew that they had to be stopped but Otonashi was unable to undo his own creations. He's too gentle. As for me, I am not completely part of the Afterlife. I only have one regret... but that one regret is strong enough to force my existence into this place. So we took a gamble. A gamble with my soul on the line. We placed our bet on you, Katsuragi."
Kei pointed a finger to Katsuragi. But... why him?
"You are considered the 'perfect NPC' by Otonashi. Separate from the system yet part of it. You have grown alongside humans, adapting to human behaviour and you now have a choice. Either save the SSS2, or simply let it vanish. Swallowed up by the mad ambitions of your siblings."
"There's no way I'll let the SSS2 die out!"
Katsuragi suddenly shouted aloud, causing Kei to smile.
"I know you will not. You inherited my will together with my soul. I chose you, Katsuragi, to safeguard my sister where I could not. You are no longer a normal NPC... but something more. I can see why Otonashi favours you."
Kei nodded, getting up to his feet. He then outstretched his hand to Katsuragi, who blankly stared at it for the moment.
"Take my hand, if you are truly determined to protect that which you hold dear to your heart."
Katsuragi was hesitant. This mere gesture of a hand did not seem like much, but yet at the same time it was like a giant leap from his old self. Would he accept it? Was he willing to accept this... 'truth' that Kei told him? Or was it all just a plot by the shadow to confuse him? While Katsuragi did have doubts about this whole 'truth', he felt as though he could trust Kei. Like everything he said was... real. But why? Was it because he really was just an NPC infused with Kei's soul? His thoughts went back to what Yukari said. Everything has more than side. Every fact has more than one truth. In this case... what would be real?
"... Nothing venture, nothing gain."
He muttered, reaching out and grabbing Kei's hand. At that moment of contact, Katsuragi felt a sudden surge rush through him. His mind flashed thoughts, memories, information.
'You're my masterpiece.'
That voice...
'Your actions are very peculiar, even for an NPC I created.'
He knows this voice.
'You went to meet her directly? Are you mad? ... You... find her interesting?'
He knows that scene.
'You watch over her every single day, don't you get bored?'
His own decisions.
'You volunteer to guard her? ... Well, I guess I can't say no. But you will have to be extra careful.'
That fateful choice.
'I'm going to infuse Kei's soul into you- ... No, it will not change your personality program... Your food preferences? Should not be different- but since when did you get a food preference? !'
'How does it feel? Having a human soul in you? ... Oh, those foreign memories are normal. Anything else you find odd? ... Nothing at all? ... I see, that's good.'
'I do not know what lies ahead when I do this. It's never been done before... huh? Wipe your memory? ... Sure, it can add as insurance but... you're sure? ... Alright.'
'I would like to give you administrative powers- ... You don't want them? ... I see, as I thought, you are special.'
'You're the chosen one... my chosen one.'
It was like being electrocuted to wake up. But it wasn't painful. And in a mere instant, Kei let go his hand, letting Katsuragi fall to one knee to catch his breath.
"Do you see now, Katsuragi?"
Kei asked. Katsuragi closed his eyes, panting like he just ran a marathon, but soon he stood up. His eyes filled with renewed vigour.
"Ah... I remember it all now."
Katsuragi muttered, looking at his own hands.
"I really am just a mere copy of a human."
"No. You are not."
Kei interjected, causing Katsuragi to look up once more.
"You are more than a copy, Katsuragi. We chose you not only because you were the only second batch NPC left, but because you had shown particular abilities since your creation. Do you not remember?"
Katsuragi closed his eyes as his memories went back. Yes, he was considered... 'special'. He had disobeyed Otonashi's word and established contact with Kurogane Kou to help her when she was swallowed by the Shadow. He did not know why he did it at that time. Maybe Kou piqued his interest? Or was it something else?
"You helped my sister once, and that was when I decided that you would be the best candidate to act as her guardian, thus I infused my soul into you."
Kei explained, to which Katsuragi nodded in agreement.
"Yes... and it was also to allow me to infiltrate the SSS2 without being detected, thus all of my memories of being an NPC were wiped as well, to avoid any suspicious actions I may cause. Some in the organization were already suspicious of my actions."
"Yes, their leader, Taeno Yuki, already knew you were an NPC, but Kou protected you by bringing you into her division. It was quite a close one though not as close as when Kou almost shot your head off."
Kei sniggered, though Katsuragi was not impressed by that memory.
"Kou is sensitive to NPCs with special abilities. She was able to sense my locked up abilities even through your soul."
"Yes, she is quite a unique one... So, do you know what you need to do?"
Kei asked. Katsuragi looked once more at his hand.
"You gave me administrative rights."
He noted.
"Yes, you will need it to end this madness. Otonashi and I had hoped to end this without it coming to this... but..."
Kei trailed off, but Katsuragi knew what he meant.
"I understand. I will end Number 01, Amatsukai Ichigo, and Number 02, Amagami Futayo, with my own hands."
"Good. Speaking of which, what is your full name?"
"... Number 00, Katsuragi... Katsuragi Rei."
He opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at some sort of dark brown ceiling. This is...
"We're in the Guild tunnels."
He looked over and saw a familiar face. Second Lieutenant Kai sat by the wall, blood trickling down his head as he tried to smile.
"... Why are we here?"
He asked, getting up to his feet.
"War. An attack by Shadows and Angels caught us all by surprise. I managed to get you two down to the tunnels as the two of you are in critical condition. The training area is currently a war zone."
Kai explained, using a rag cloth to tie up a wound on his thigh.
"Nggh!"
Kai tried not to scream out loud as he tightened the make-shift bandage. Falling limp, Kai's eyes looked out of focus. He must have suffered a lot to bring Katsuragi and Saya here. Katsuragi Rei looked over to Saya, noticing that the other trainee was still in a deep coma-like state. But Rei could tell, Saya was losing in her battle against her darkness. After all, Rei wasn't human. Still, in this current situation, Kai was probably the one needing immediate attention. Rei walked over to Kai and knelt down by the Assault member. Placing a hand against Kai's wounds, Rei focused on one thing. Healing.
"... Administrative console; access defence_skill: Healing. Activate."
Rei said in a monotonous voice. From his hand a dim light appeared and seemed to seep into Kai's wounds. Slowly, but surely, all of Kai's wounds were closed up.
"Katsuragi... so, you really aren't human, after all."
Kai muttered with a smile. Rei stood up and shook his head.
"No, but I am not the enemy... You don't seem surprised."
Rei noted. Kai smiled, closing his eyes to rest as he spoke.
"I was already informed ahead of time by Taeno Yuki about you. However since Kou came directly to me and asked me to train you anyway, I simple followed her orders. Kou is someone I can trust, particularly in her judgement with NPCs."
"... I see."
Rei replied. It was Kou again. Kou seemed to know everything, yet why did she still protect him? Because she sensed her brother within him? Or was it something else? Rei know realized why he cannot correctly guess what others around him think. It's because humans train of thought was really too deviant, too radical. The fact that humans can still be organized with such thoughts is really an astounding feat. Wait, back to the task at hand. Rei walked over to Saya and knelt down by her. Her darkness was devouring her at an accelerated rate. She must be losing confidence in herself to combat her own weaknesses.
"Can you heal her?"
Kai asked, still unable to get up to his feet.
"I can... but... If I am not careful, I might get swallowed by her darkness as well. I am not human so the darkness will corrupt me with greater success than it could to a human being if I am not careful."
Rei explained, observing how best to approach the task at hand. He carefully placed one hand on her forehead and gingerly placed his other on her abdomen.
"Access..."
Accessing
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File corrupted
Unable to access
"Administrative console."
Administrative console activated
"Search for all corrupted data."
Searching
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Search result found 912051 files corrupted
Compiling results
"Purge all corrupted data."
Purging
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Purge complete
At this point, the darkness in Saya had been erased, but there was still the problem of Saya's soul. It was corrupted, devoured by the darkness.
"... Search, fragmentations."
Searching
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"De-fragmentation process activate. Console list restore system."
De-fragmentation of fragmentations may cause some damage to core system, continue?
"Yes."
De-fragmenting
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Console list
- Restore to previously stored system
- Restore to default system
- Restore all systemic routines.
"Restore to previously stored system."
Restoring
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De-fragmenting complete
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Restoration complete.
Reboot?
"Yes."
Rei then let go of his hands and stood back up.
"... Is she... going to be fine?"
Kai asked.
"I've done all I can. The rest is up to her. The human soul is something I am unable to calculate. It is something that can overcome impossible odds... I believe that in this case, we should simple have faith in Saya's soul to fight back."
Rei replied, walking over to Kai and standing by him to watch Saya.
"It is odd... hearing an NPC talk about souls and faith."
"I guess... it is odd for me to say it."
Rei muttered, staring at his own hands. He wasn't human. That fact was still fresh in his numb mind. While it was the truth, it wasn't something that could be swallowed and accepted in a a few minutes.
"No... it isn't odd."
Kai replied with a smile.
"Though you are an NPC, I am sure that there are times when even the rules are broken. There will be times when you go against everything your existence stands for. You do all this because you have something you want to protect. You have something that you value more than yourself. This... this conviction and determination is proof, Katsuragi. Proof that you are more than an NPC."
Rei turned to Kai with a smile.
"Thank you, second lieutenant. Your words are comforting enough for me to go on."
"... You need to go on ahead."
Kei said, pointing towards further down the tunnel.
"Above ground is dangerous and we need to break the siege that is keeping Guild from the rest of us. Head to Guild first. I'll catch up once Saya recovers."
Rei was hesitant at first. Though he knew that it was the right course of action to take, somehow... he needed to know something.
"You trust me?"
Rei asked, making Kei raise an eyebrow at him.
"Trust you?"
"Yes... I am an NPC, the fated enemy of your organization. Yet you still entrust me with this task... Why?"
Kei blinked a couple of times at Rei, as though surprised by Rei's question.
"Isn't it obvious? Because you're a member of the SSS2. That's why I trust you."
This time, it was Rei's turn to be surprised by Kei's choice of words.
"... Merely that?"
"For what other reason do I need? You wear the SSS2 uniform, you are not attacking me or Saya and you healed us. You may be an NPC, Katsuragi, but you are also part of this organization... Heh, maybe that's just me. Let me tell you an interesting story, Katsuragi."
Kei said, closing his eyes as he spoke.
"I was once an outsider to the very concept of trust. I treated everyone whom I did not know as an enemy, and I even treated those who were close to me with suspicion. Betrayed from young, I grew up with nothing hate, contempt, and despair. I forced my way upon those around me because I rejected everything else. But... that wasn't the answer, Katsuragi. Humans are social creatures by nature. No one can escape that rule. Because of that, I was alone. All alone with no one to cover my back when I needed it most. I paid for my mistake with my life, and here, I plan to make sure no one gets left out... If the SSS2 isolates you, Katsuragi, then know that at least I will stand by your side."
Rei simple stood there, surprised by Kei's words. But then, he smiled and nodded.
"Ah... thanks, senpai. I'll go first."
Rei said, turning to go.
"Will you be alright by yourself?"
Kei asked, to which Rei merely smiled.
"I have my methods."
Rei said as he walked off, leaving Kei alone with the recovering Saya. Kei merely smiled and closed his eyes to rest once more.
"... Kurogane-san... I can see why you believe in him. It is just as you said, if there is one person who is able to get rid of the madness of our beloved organization... It is sure to be him. Heh, who knew that the one to end us would be an NPC."
A/N: HA HA HA! CURVE BALL! Bet none of you thought of that answer, right? While waiting for new chapters, why don't you read some of my other stories? No, I'm not advertising... or maybe I am. Still, it seems that my White Knights story is gaining quite a few fans... maybe I should restart that story after this... or after the side stories... or along side the side stories... I'm lost.