Kyle yawned, scratching his sides as he made his way out of the cafeteria. Some nutsos had left \ a massive mess of curry everywhere, and it had taken him quite a while to get it all sorted out. Still, that hardly explained why he was so tired. He made a mental note to scale his bedtime back from 9:30, which he had always suspected was pushing the limit.

He slowed as a familiar figure appeared down the sun-lit hallway. "Tiffany!" he called. "Good morning. Or afternoon, I guess. Hey, where have you been? I could have used your help a bit ago, cleaning up the cafeteria."

He expected to receive one of Tiffany's stock excuses, or maybe just a hair flip. Honestly, the girl got on his nerves, but he was a sucker for the hair flips.

But Tiffany said nothing. She didn't whine, and didn't complain. When she finally turned away from the sunny window to gaze at him, Kyle did a double take. He'd never seen that expression on the young women before; it was almost like… peace.

"Oh… I'm sorry Kyle. I've just kind of had a busy morning. I've been doing a lot of thinking, you see." She turned back to look out the window, and something she saw made her eyes light up.

Kyle took a cautious step forward. "Thinking? Tiff, are you all right?"

She broke into living smile, and for a moment Kyle saw the sun reflected against her face.

"Yes. Now, I think I'm going to be all right."

Kyle blinked. Why was he just standing here, alone? Had there been a reason? Shrugging to himself, he set off.

Mike and Emily stood on the steps leading down to the sports fields. The NPC's had now returned in full force; students kicked balls, ran bases, and played beneath the noon sun.

The mortals stood watching for a bit. Beside them, waterfalls descended on either side of the stair. The tumbling water splashed and winked with light. Mike gathered his nerve.

"Hey, Emily?" he finally spoke. "Would you… would you want to stay here with me?"

She started. "Huh?"

"I know it's weird, but the thought just occurred to me. The NPC's are back. Soon, other humans like us will be arriving too. And they're going to have their own troubles. Their own anger."

Emily nodded. "Right."

Mike clenched his fist. "What if they try to do what Winnie did? What if they get confused and try to stay here? They could get into a rut, and be stuck here for ages and ages. And they'd have to go through it alone."

"Right," Emily agreed again.

"But… if we stayed, then we could help them! We could help them graduate from this world, into whatever path they take next. We could show them the beauty that we've managed to find."

"This is true," Emily said. Her voice was quiet, but not steady. Mike realized she felt just as uncertain as he was.

Mike took a breath. "Emily, would you stay with me? As long as you're with me, then I won't get lonely. Even here, in this crazy place." As he spoke, she started to walk down the steps towards him, until they stood on the same level.

"You see,I want to stay with you. I don't want to have to leave you. Because I… well, I…

He swallowed. All right, this is it. This is something that I do care about. And I can be brave.

"I want to stay with you, because I love you so much, Emily. I'm never afraid when I'm around you."

Mike surrendered. Reaching out, he drew Emily's small form into his arms, hugging her to him. "You make me see the beauty. I love you, and I never want to leave you."

He held her for what felt like an age. The silence of anticipation rang in his ears, growing until he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Emily," he finally managed. "How do you feel? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Folded in his arms, she closed her eyes. "I do not want to reply."

He straightened up, shock dousing his spine. "What? Why not?"

"Because I am afraid that if I tell you how I truly feel, then I will vanish from this world."

Mike's head buzzed. He blinked twice. "Huh? But, but why?"

"I came to this world to give thanks. I came to tell you thank you, for everything you have done for me."

She twisted in his arms to look up at him. "I lived my life separated from others, and even that weak existence almost ended when I was very young. I experienced heart failure.

"But I was given another chance. Through that chance, I was able to meet people, and give them the love that I needed to give. My life was extended, thanks to the precious heart that you have given me."

Mike gasped, and his body went slack.

Emily gently pulled away, and carefully laid her hands on her own chest. "Even now, I can feel your heart beating inside of me. The reason I was drawn into this world, was because I was unable to thank the one who gave me a chance. I needed to thank you for your gift."

"But, but that's impossible!" Mike sputtered. "Even if admit that I could have arrived here after you…How would you even know it was me?"

Emily carefully stepped over to one of the waterfalls. Leaning over, she looked down into its rippling surface. 'I noticed when I stabbed you that first night. You do not have a heart."

Mike choked, hands fumbling for his chest. You grow so used to your own heart beat, that you never notice it. Now, all he could notice was the crashing absence of sound in his chest.

"But… but that shouldn't prove that it was me…"

"That night in the hospital, you regained all your lost memories by falling asleep on my chest. That same night, I was able to fend off a horde of demons. But I was not alone. You were listening to the beat of your own heart, Michael."

Michael couldn't look away.

With a smile, Emily touched her chest. "I believe I am extraordinarily blessed, Michael. And to think, people thought I was the angel.

"You are my angel, Michael. You are the angel to many. And everywhere I go, I am brought alive by the sound of my angel beats."

Emily was silent for a long moment. When she finally turned back around to look at him, Mike noticed a rim of red around her eyes.

"Michael… tell me again what you said before. Please."

Mike's brain froze with fear. "No. No, I won't. Emily, you'll… you'll disappear!"

Emily ran up to him. "Michael, please! I need to hear you say it again," she said, voice lined with urgency.

Mike rammed his eyes shut, and backed away desperately. "No, I won't! I can't," he pleaded.

"Michael, please!"

Michael gasped for breath, no longer able to speak.

"Michael."

Emily gazed up at him, hands trembling. "Please. For you see, I doubt also."

He couldn't wrench his eyes away, no matter how hard he tried.

"Sometimes I doubt that life is worth it. Not when it hurts so much. Help me to believe everything you believe in.

"I want to believe that life is worth living."

Mike trembled. Looking at the beautiful person before him, he could barely speak. With the blood rushing in his ears, he forced the words to come.

"Emily," he whispered, stepping towards her. "I love you. Let's stay together, okay?"

She rushed to meet him, tugging him down so she could throw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered back. "Thank you so much."

"Let's stay together forever, all right?" Mike repeated, his words coming out in a croak. Emily smiled, nestling against his shirt.

"All right. Thank you, Michael."

"I love you," Michael repeated, no longer able to open his eyes. "Please, stay with me!"

"Thank you so much," Emily replied, her form still and peaceful. "Thank you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for giving me the chance to love.

"I love you so much, Michael."

Michael stumbled forward, knees buckling in shock as his empty arms came up to meet the concrete. He tumbled down several steps before rolling to a stop against the stair walls. He sprung up immediately, ignoring his bruises as he desperately searched.

She was gone. She was gone. Mike was alone, the only human in the world

"Emily," he called, despair winding through him. He glanced around desperately, senses searching for a reply. Only the brilliant sun winked back at him. "EMILY!"

. He slumped backwards onto his rump, feeling the stairs digging into his back. A sob died painfully in his throat.

It wasn't fair. IT WASN'T FAIR.

"Why would you do this to me," Mike croaked out loud. He no longer had any reason not to talk to himself. "God, are you listening to me? Why would you put me through this?"

His veins throbbed, the motion centered around his missing heart. "Why would you do this to any of us? What is the point of the pain, and the ugliness?" He gazed up into the azure blue sky, squinting. No shower of gold appeared, and no pillar of fire. It was quiet.

Mike hugged his knees. "Lord… How can it be worth loving, when it hurts so much?"

Once more, he did not receive a response. The only sounds were that of the world around him. Water trickled and chuckled beside him, falling to the fields of grass.

Mike looked up; the signs of life surrounded him. His back was starting to throb as his body began the task of repairing what was injured. Overhead, birdsong drifted down as birds flitted past. In the distance, rows of flowers swayed, the product of loving gardener.

As it had as long as he could remember, life refused to leave Mike. It always showed up when he was ready to leave it behind, with a splash of icy water to his face. He was filled with its entirety, its pains, and its beauty. He did not understand why it took the form it did.

But, it appeared he had a choice.

End of The Final Mission of The Battlefront.

Based off of Angel Beats, a story about the odd connection between beauty and life.

Writing this has really been an experience. I feel like putting someone down in words really helps you understand it. And the more I understand Angel Beats, the more I love it. Thanks everyone, for supporting this venture. And to BloodPokemon101, White Weasel, and Bunnys-n-PenguinsWillRuleEarth, a really, really big thankyou. Thankyouthankyouthankyou. Your constant advice helped me figure out which places in the original story could use more development, and which places to put further adventures. Here's hoping the adventure continues.

See ya!