Okay, so this is the last chapter.

I'm glad it's done.

I think I'm gonna have to start focusing on my grammar more in these but either way;

I don't own Angel Beats

Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

And I hope you all enjoy this last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Red For Love

Otonashi was headed to the park. Apparently some guy called Noda was holding a grudge against Hinata for striking him out in the last game, so he was demanding a rematch. Yui was going to be going along and apparently dressing up as a cheerleader. Noda was bringing along a few friends as well, so they were all going to play.

Hinata had insisted that Otonashi needed to come along, apparently there were going to be some girls there so he should 'take this opportunity to familiarise himself with the opposite gender'. Well, there was a bit of paraphrasing there; Hinata said something more along the line of 'chat up the chicks there and get yourself a girlfriend you lonely geezer', but Otonashi figured he had got the meaning more or less correct.

So he was walking down the streets, bag on shoulder, long hair covering his eyes, worrying about his little sister Hatsune who had gone out on a date that day. On the one hand he sincerely hoped that he would give her the best day of her life. On the other, he prayed that the day would go horribly and she would swear of dating for at least a few more years.

He should probably seriously consider the possibility of him having a brother complex.

Kanade was outside.

For the first time in about a month, she was walking around outside without anyone else hovering over her shoulder, or nervously asking if she was okay. The freedom was quite pleasant to be honest.

Yuri had asked her to come along to the park. Apparently Noda had issued some kind of challenge to a death-by-baseball game with someone. Frankly speaking, Noda was always challenging people and picking fights, so Kanade hadn't really payed much attention to the name.

As it was, she had decided to head over to the shops first. It was in the complete opposite direction to the park, but she figured everyone was going to be hungry and thirsty when they finished running around, so it would be good to have something to give them, or else there would undoubtedly be complaining.

She tugged at the light blue jacket that she was wearing, lifting her bag slightly in the other hand. Her chest was hurting again, but it was a different feeling for some reason. All fluttering, beating fast and hard. She didn't know what it meant but for some reason she had been holding her breath all day.

With a small sigh at her own foolishness, she lowered her hat against the sun, blinking rapidly before beginning to hum softly. It was a song by a band that she was quite fond of, Girls Dead Monster.

She could hear the lyrics within her head as she hummed, for some reason this one song had made a large impression on her. The moment she had heard it, she had found herself humming the tune at every opportunity. So she continued to do so, even as she paused and rested against a wall, making sure her purse was in her bag. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed another person with red hair pass by her, undoubtedly he could hear her just like everyone else, but she continued to hum, adjusting the strap on her shoulder and walking on.

'…Can we hang it proud?

Man must go on regardless

That is my song'

Otonashi crossed the road carefully, looking down at his feet as he walked. To be honest, that was the general pose he took, never meeting people's eyes, never noticing people who walk past him. Despite that, his eyes immediately picked out a pale girl leaning against a wall as he walked past her. She seemed to almost glow, like an angel.

Otonashi had always thought it quite ridiculous to compare a person to such a celestial being, but that was the only word that came to mind when he looked at her.

With an embarrassed shake of his head he moved on, not wanting to be seen staring at someone. He had only taken a step or two when the girl straightened and began walking away. He tucked his hands in his pockets and made to move on, but the song that she was humming suddenly reached his ears.

'It's because you're crying'

It was incredibly strange. He didn't think he had heard that tune before, certainly not often enough to recognise it. Yet for some reason…

'It's because you're lonely'

He did.

'You're right'

He didn't know why, but he felt himself filled with melancholy and yet, joy. As though he had lost something incredibly precious and only just now found it again.

'That's being human'

He turned and stared after the girl.

'Those tears I cried'

His feet seemed to move on his own.

'Those tears I cried'

Kanade's heart was pounding. Every step she took seemed to be significant for some reason.

'In time'

That was appropriate. Because for some reason, all she could think was that it was time.

'It's so beautiful'

Something was coming, someone was coming.

And she was right.

Because at that moment, a hand landed on her shoulder and turned her around, "w-wait."

She stared at the boy in front of her. The one who had walked past her only moment's ago now out of breath, flushed and confused.

The song was still playing through, an endless recording in her mind and all she could think was how very red this boy was. Red hair, red eyes, red cheeks.

She had always liked the colour red.

'It's not a lie'

"I'm- um, I'm Yuzuru Otonashi, I just wanted to say that…"

Kanade watched him trail off awkwardly, no doubt trying to work out why exactly he had stopped her, a complete stranger, in the middle of the street. Normally she would think it was weird.

But as she gazed at his awkward expression, she realised that her heart for some reason had stilled, beating at a slow, methodical that felt comfortable, and right. More right than it had ever felt before. It made her think that maybe this boy, for whatever strange reason, was the thing she was waiting for.

And she didn't think it so strange for him to stop her in the middle of the street after all.

'For the real us'

She gazed at the boy from underneath her hat. He seemed to be at a complete loss of words now, simply staring at her with helpless eyes. Her lips tilted up in a very slight smile, "I'm Kanade Tachibana."

'Thank you'

So there you go.

Also, though I'm sure everyone knows this, the song Kanade hums is 'My Song' which is the song sung by Iwasawa right before she disappears.

I said the word 'song' too many times in that sentence.

Bye guys!

Thanks for reading 3