Disclaimer: I don't own Angel Beats.

WARNING: Episode 3 spoilers

[EDIT 8.01.2012] Here starts the beginning of revision and editing for "Back to Life". I'll be doing this to look over the rest of the other chapters to minimize the amount of errors in the entire work. I'm also going to try to the earlier chapters flow better to match the writing style to the more recent ones. It certainly won't be prefect and I might not find every mistake (and since I want to keep as much of the original text as possible), but I'll do my best. It'll take a while to complete this task. I'll put a brief note at the beginning of each edited chapter to let you know of the progress.

Yuri had a new plan to learn the secrets about God. It was to break into Tenshi's room to find any information about her connection to God. While she and the others were in her room, Girls Dead Monsters would be distracting the students, staff, and Tenshi until they find something useful.

But, things always don't happen the way it was planned out to be.

The diversionary team had been suppressed by the school faculty and Tenshi was on her way back to her dorm. Iwasawa didn't what else to do. A riot had erupted in the crowd and the teachers were quickly surrounding her and the rest of the band. Things were certainly not in their favor tonight.

A male teacher walked to her acoustic guitar that was still sitting on its stand and picked up its neck. "I can throw this away, right?" he asked the other teachers.

Something just snapped inside of her head."Don't touch that..." Iwasawa's voice was quiet and low. The teacher didn't seem to pay her any mind.

"Don't... Don't touch that!" she screamed. She pushed off the floor, forcibly making her restrainers relinquished her, darting toward the teacher, and tackled him to the ground. Hisako took this chance created by the band leader to headbutt the teacher holding her and hastily ran to the staircase. Irie and Sekine stood ingrained to their spot, frozen as they and the rest of the student body watched.

Iwasawa backed to the wall behind her, possessively clutching her guitar to her body. Hisako had reached for the door, slamming it open without hesitation. The staff were rught about to close in on Iwasawa when she spontaneously started to started to strum the guitar.

A single voice was heard in the large hall as music echoed throughout the gymnasium.

Joushiki buttereu yatsuga waratteru

Hisako swiveled in the chair and began to broadcast the sound to the entire school through the loudspeakers.

tsugi wa donna uso tsuku

sorede erareta mono

daijini kazatteokeru no?

"The new song..." Yui whispered amongst the mass of soulless beings encompassing her.

Hito wa sore demo susmanakya naranai

Tenshi, hearing the song through the speakers, turned heel, and walked back towards the hall.

Sonna no wa utau yo

Yuri paused for a moment to listen to the song, having being taken by surprise by this sudden development. But she quickly snapped back to the operation at hand. "Takeyama-kun!"

Takeyama already knew what he needed to do, his deft fingers moving at amazing speeds across the keyboard, "Got it, and call me Christ!" He pressed the Enter button.

Naiteru kimi kuso

kodokuna kimi kosu

tadashii yo

ningen rashii yo

Yuri gritted her teeth as she scrolled down the information about Tenshi's skills recalling the events of their latest trip down to the Guild when she was fighting against her when she using those very same skills.

Otoshita namida ga

kouin wo

konna ni mo utsukushii

uso ja nai

hontou no bakura wo

Everyone inside the packed gymnasium was silent and payed undivided attention to the lone singer on stage. Yui stared at the beautiful performance, tears silently streamed down her eyes from the emotion and the lyrics. It was simply too breathtaking—the sentiment hidden behind the unequivocal words, the intense passion of her voice—and she couldn't look away.

Arigato...

This is my life. Iwasawa remembered her pre-afterlife and how she used to perform with her guitar out on the streets by herself as it rapidly flashed in head in bits and pieces.

To always sing like this... That is why I was born. Just like how I was saved...I'll save someone else too. Iwasawa looked up to the ceiling with tears in her glittering crimson eyes. I finally found it.

Iwasawa felt a warm light enveloping her her, accepting it without regret.

The guitar fell with a "thud" to the ground as everyone looked at the stage in awe and confusion.

Hisako gaped at the devoid stage, unable to believe what happened in that moment. "Iwasawa...?"

Iwasawa had disappeared.

…

…

…?

Iwasawa struggled slightly as she opened her eyes. Her vision blurred, slowly becoming focused to her surroundings. The white luster was blinding. It seared into her sensitive pupils. Iwasawa squinted her eyes until the brightness became tolerable. Sitting up from the bed she was on, she immediately realized where she was.

She was back in the hospital room when she died.

What...? No... She was back to this dreadful place, this damned world that her only dream was uncontrollably taken away from. Feeling the heavy weight of her fears and impregnable horror smash into her chest, she buried her face in her knees and cried.

Minutes past, Iwasawa couldn't tell how long it was, before she pulled her flimsy composure together in order to sit back up when she heard the door open.

A nurse walked in with a surprised and relieved expression. She ran out the room calling for the doctor. Iwasawa could her hear woman screech down the coridor. "She's awake! She's finally awake!"

Awake? Was she sleeping?

Now she was confused. Was Yuri and the others just a dream? Hisako, Sekine, Irie, and Yui... Were they just part of her imagination?

Was this just another one of God's pernicious farce?

As Iwasawa was collecting her thoughts, a doctor walked into the room. Dressed to match the alabaster room, the middle-aged man smiled at her and Iwasawa just had the energy in her to scowl at the man.

"Ah, you really are awake. How are you feeling? Are you okay?" the doctor asked, either choosing to ignore her displeasure or not noticing it.

Iwasawa opened her mouth to answer but hesitated.

Would her voice be back?

Or would she have to live in this wretched world without singing?

The doctor spoke up clear the silence. "It's okay, you don't have to talk. It's has been a few months since you fell into a coma. Most likely from the shock from your cerebral contusion."

What? A coma? She was in a coma?

Aside from that, the doctor said "don't have to talk".

... Does that mean her voice was back?

"Well, it's good to see awake and okay. Your parents was about to pull the plug on you. I'm glad they didn't do that sooner," the doctor explained to the girl listening with unabashed astonishment. Before walking out of the ward, he added, "I better notify your parents about this. I'm sure that they will be overjoyed. Oh, I'll be back later to run some tests on you to affirm your health." He slowly closed the door to allow the girl to arrange her thoughts.

Iwasawa sat on her bed, shocked.

Her parents was going to let her die?

Iwasawa gnashed her teeth together and clenched her fist in a tight ball. No, no. Now wasn't the time to think about those two.

But still, she couldn't the believe words coming out from that man's lips. A coma, her parents, her voice... it was all too much.

Iwasawa sighed and attempted to get out from her bed. She wanted to know more about what had happened to her. Upon touching the cold surface of the floor with bare feet, she almost fell because her legs immediately giving out due to the fact she was bed-ridden for months.

She grunted, the plain feat of mearly standing was absurdly draining, and regained her balance by holding on the bed-frame. Iwasawa gingerly walked a few steps to get her legs the feeling of walking again. Her steps were wobbly, like a new-born baby's.

Iwasawa looked around the plain room. There was a few chairs for visitors, wilted brown flowers in a little glass pot, and a drawer full of medical supplies next to her bed. But her gaze fell on the guitar leaning against the wall below a window, light showering on it, giving it a almost ethereal glow in the sun.

Slowly, but steadily, she walked to it, like she was drawn to it.

As she picked the instrument, she tensed up.

What if she also forgot how to play? Would she be able to sing?

Horrible thoughts began to flood her mind.

Her grip tightened in her apprehension. But the only way for her find out was to do it.

Leaning against the wall allowed her to stand upright enough to comfortably handle the guitar in hands. Draping the black strap onto her upper body, Iwasawa took in a deep breath and softly plucked at the metal strings. Muscle memory glided her hands to familiar positions. Chords and notes flowed freely in her head. She breathed a hefty sigh of relief. She could still play.

Iwasawa took another deep breath to clear her cloudy head from any doubts. She began to play the chords of the last song she played.

My Song