Crossing her arms over her flat chest - which hadn't really bothered her before, but under the intense scrutiny of Tatsuya, she was now very self-conscious about - she fixated a heavy gaze on him, her thoughts on the matter running amuck.
Yes, it was unfair of her to just bombard him with her accusations, seemingly out of nowhere, but she couldn't help herself. Reika rarely lost control, and only did so when her emotions grew too much for her to handle, but it seemed that whenever Tastuya was involved, she had zero control what-so-ever. She didn't know what it was about him that bugged her to now end, but she was damn well determined to find out. So huffing a bit, she set a firm expression on her face before he finally began to speak.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for avoiding you, but ...."
Really? Was it so hard for him to just tell her what it was about her that he just couldn't stand?
"But...."
Oh, great. He was a broken record. Did the man have no thinking process?
"I don't care how you dress or anything." Than why avoid her? "I don't know how rumors began to spread like that, but I just...."
Yeah, well, either way - they spread. And fast. So you'd better get your damned story straight before I kick you, Tatsuya. I mean, is it really so damned hard to-
"I like you!!!"
Blinking, Reika's thoughts came to a screeching halt at that sudden admission. True, she had had a variety of people declare their love for her - most of whom were female, but still. However, this one caught her completely off-guard. Of all the thing she had expected him to say, that hadn't even been on the list. In fact, it seemed as though he hadn't even thought that to be the reason. Indeed, he stood there with a surprised look on his face, as though he could barely believe it himself.
But his words rang true.
Actually, it was quite funny.
Before she knew what had happened, a soft snort escaped her, and in an instant she was laughing. Her arms wrapped around herself, she doubled over with the laughter as it racked her body. A hand lifted to press against the nearest wall so as to avoid her falling over, and her cackles echoed slightly in the room.
"Really? Honest to God, that's why you avoid me? Oh, the irony ... I suppose the saying's true than. 'He's only mean to you because he has a crush on you'," she chuckled, wiping at her eyes. Heaving a sigh, she shook her head and pushed away from the wall. "I'm not laughing at you. I just found the ironic part of your admission to be amusing is all."
"I look at you and I get this weird feeling that makes me nervous and I don't know what to do and when I had a conversation with you last night and saw you crying from the thunder and lightning I just wanted to protect you.... I don't know, it sounds weird. I don't even understand myself. It's just that..."
Jumping, her heart skipped a beat as his alarm suddenly began to go off, cutting him short of finishing his sentence. When he finally silenced it and turned back, his expression had changed, leading her to believe that that was all that she would be able to get out of him for the time being.
"Well it's okay I guess ... You wouldn't like a guy like me anyway and it's not like it matters what type of feeling I have now. After all, I'm dead."
In an instant she was across the room, reaching him just after he had finished tying his shoes and was rising. Due to their differences in heights, she was forced to go on her toes in order to do what she hadn't even truly registered herself that she was doing. Her hand gripped the front of his shirt, tugging him down half an inch so that he was closer to her face, and when her lips met the corner of his in a simple, quick, and yet seemingly-lasting and chaste kiss, she felt a small spark go through her body.
After a moment she pulled back, dropping to the flats of her feet.
"Last I checked, being dead didn't rid you of who you are on the inside. You still have a soul, and souls can feel every bit as much as any living person can. It's that type of thinking that makes it so we are unable to defeat Angel," she said, stepping back from him.
A soft blush rose to her cheek but she patted it away, turning her face to the side.
"Anyways, I wanted to speak to you about something. I'm tired of being behind the scenes when we attack Angel. I want to be on the front lines," she said, her gaze holding on something that only she could see outside of the window. "I know I'm not the strongest person on the squad, but that doesn't mean I can't-"
Reika was cut off abruptly as the door to the room was thrown open, revealing a disheveled Jou, a young man from the tactical division of Death's Alliance.
"Attack ... Angel ... In the clearing!" he exclaimed. Immediately afterwards, he dove forward towards the floor, giving Reika only a second to cross the room and grab him before he made contact. Gently lowering him to the ground, she shook her head, heaving a sigh.
"Stupid boy ... You shouldn't have been running in your condition. This would be why you are dead now," she murmured, searching his body. It showed signs of several bullet wounds, and blood stained almost every inch of his clothing.
Pushing herself up, she tossed a look over her shoulder at Tatsuya. "There isn't any time for me to change, so I suppose I'll have to go out there in a dress. You know as well as I do we need to get out there and see what's happening," she said, already making her way into the hall. "Let's go."