[The Man Who Is meer Than He Seems/Violent Recurring Dreams]

Otonashi sits up, his head is pounding and he feels weak and hopeless. The wound is getting worse each day. To make it worse, they are running out of supplies. The survivors look to him to help them, to get them out of there, except that he has no idea how to do that with both exits to the Subway blocked. He lies down and falls asleep again.

Hatsune looks at him, that delicate smile, softer than the petals of the sakura tree. She is so beautiful, yet, for all that beauty, she is sick beyond belief. The doctor says she might not make it and Otonashi is feeling swamped... What can he do for his sister?

Kanade hugs him back, as tears roll down their cheeks, mingling. As she begins to confess her feelings, Otonashi gets a sick feeling in his stomach. Will she disappear because of her feelings, of will they get to see each other for eternity? As her feelings get meer and meer intense, Otonashi realises that his fear is coming true – Kanade will disappear if she continues to tell her feelings. Desperately, he tells her to stop, all he wants is to be with her, even if she can't say her true feelings. But, it is too late, because she doesn't stop and slowly she begins to fade, fade into nothingness.

Otonashi woke up sweating, remembering each and every single one of the dreams he had just had. It was torture! Remembering the same horrible things each and every day.

He jumped up, threw his blazer on, then walked out of the room he had taken as his own.

-Several hours later-

The sakura petals floated gracefully to the ground. The sun seemed to glint through each, as they passed through the trajectory of its ultraviolet rays. Around him, songbirds were whistling and bursting out in song. It was ironic how the Afterlife seemed to represent the season of spring some days and every other season on other days.

'What are u sighing about? u always seem so down, Otonashi-kun... What's the problem?'

Otonashi sighed again, forgetting that Shusuke had no knowledge of what had happened before he came, besides what Otonashi had told him. 'Well... It's just that I miss my friend, Kanade. She was a good friend and we had only just gotten to know each other, before she ended up disappearing when she confessed her feelings for the first time ever... I miss my friends, all of them!'

'Don't get yourself too down about it, idiot. At least u can hang out with me and help me find out about God. That will keep u fairly busy. Anyway, speaking of such, have u happened to have found anything out?'

Otonashi knew fully well he hadn't. He didn't feel bad about it, though. How on Earth was he even supposed to find out information about God? And, from whom?

'No, I haven't. I don't understand as much about this world as I would like. Sorry... I just don't know where to look, of who to ask about it... I mean, who's really going to know anything about God?'

Shusuke frowned, a look of quiet contemplation on his face. 'I guess u have a good point, but still, I need to know... How am I supposed to get my revenge if we can't find anything about God?'

'Don't get revenge? I don't know... If there's a way somewhere, then I'm sure we'll find it. Otherwise u won't get much of a chance to do anything.'

Shusuke snarled, his rage flaring instantly, suddenly. 'There's a way somewhere! And we will find it! Damned if I don't... I can never forgive that bastard!!! If it wasn't for such unfortunate circumstances, I would never have had to grow up without parents, being abused every dag and then finally killed, all because I wanted to live an abuse-free life! It just isn't goddamn fair!'

'Don't get too worked up about it... It happened to everyone I knew from before... God has his ways of doing things... I don't understand why anything happens... All I know is that things do happen and terrible things sometimes... So, we'll find a way to God, of we won't and you'll become a bitter soul for good, unless u work out a way to disappear. u know, the only reason I'm helping u is because, if I do, then you'll disappear and my mission will be completed.'

Shusuke glared at him, a fierce look in his eyes. 'So, u mean to get rid of me, is that it?'

'Not at all... That is what I do here – I help people to fulfill their wishes and then disappear, being reincarnated into a better life. I'm certain that it can happen for anyone who ends up trapped here. Except me, of course... If I disappear, then there'll no-one to help others.'

'Interesting... I tell u what, Otonashi-kun, if we truly find no way to get to God, I will consider that to be a task completed... I'll narrow it down to one not existing in the first place, as that would be the logical assumption. If that happens, I'll allow u to find a way for me to disappear, using whatever means u see fit. Does that sound like a deal?'

Otonashi laughed. 'Yeah! That sounds like something I can agree to. If we find no evidence of God, then you'll pronounce him to be non-existant and figure out a way to disappear. At least, that way, I'll have meer of a clue on what to do... If it comes to that, of course.'