Jacob Yamaguchi's Story

It was cold. It was so immensely cold, and yet …

She could not move. Oh, how dearly she wanted to move. She wanted desperately to escape the cold that encompassed her like a cocoon, and crawl somewhere warm and sunny, instead of this eternal darkness that surrounded her.

With a jerk, she was yanked from the nightmarish sleep that she had been in. Only to be staring directly into the barrel of a gun.

…

“Gyah!”

Westley’s hand shot out, knocking the gun to the side. She rolled in the same motion and placed one hand over either of her shoulders, and with a small grunt, threw herself up in a fluid kip-up move. Once on her feet, she rounded on the person who was aiming the gun at her head, already in the Back Stance. Her fists were up, and despite the throbbing in her head, she managed to remain on her feet.

The boy couldn’t be much older than she was, maybe a year or two at the most, and had messy brown hair, with eyes that were the color of dried blood – copper, perhaps? It was difficult to tell in the dim lighting of the night sky, so she wasn't particularly sure.

“Who the hell are you, why were you pointing a freaking gun at my head, and …” She suddenly paused, realization dawning on her, and she straightened. Her hands lowered momentarily as she looked at her surroundings. “And where am I?”

Another realization hit her as soon as she finished asking the question. She turned back to the boy, her brows drawn together and her eyes slightly narrowed.

“Who am I?”

---

---

Reika frowned down at her paper, lifting a hand to absently scratch an itch. With her nose buried deep into her book, she didn't exactly hear the footsteps until the person was nearly on top of her.

Of course, it was an NPC.

"Um, excuse me, Setsuko-san?"

It was a girl, with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes that battled the fair coloring of her features. She was surprisingly shorter then Reika, and for a moment, Reika merely stared up at her blankly.

"Yes?"

"Um, ah, I ... I-I ... I was just wondering ..." Obviously the gaze that Reika had fixed on the girl was a bit unnerving, so in an effort to calm the NPC - although it technically wasn't needed, she didn't have the heart to upset even a computer programming, as she thought of them - she gentled her gaze and added a smile.

"I'm sorry if I was a bit frightening before. How may I help you?" she asked, rising as she spoke and snapping her book shut. The pants of her male uniform was a bit itchy, so with a small movement of her hips, she straightened the pants and rid herself of the itch.

The girl blushed and looked down, biting the tips of her nails.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering ... If maybe ... You wouldn't mind if ... We ate lunch together tomorrow?" she stammered out, her cheeks a bright red.

Reika blinked at the girl, her surprise evident on her face, before she tucked her book beneath her arm and shoved her hands into her pockets. She turned her head away, her face shadowed.

"... I'm sorry."

The girl looked up quickly, tears already blooming in her eyes, which met Reika's, her vulnerability obvious through the tears.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested in dating anyone right now. It's nothing to do with you; I'm merely not interested in dating," she said softly to the girl, who, as all of the NPC's had, mistaken her for a male student.

The girl teared up even more, and with a sob, she pointed a finger at Reika.

"You really are a heartless asshole, Setsuko!" And with that, she fled.

Reika stared after the girl, her hands still in her pockets, and with a small shake of her head, she turned away. The school was abandoned and she had chosen a spot on a windowsill to read. With her will to read gone, she started away from the windowsill, now clutching the book to her chest.

Ever since her arrival in the Afterlife, she had made a few friends in Death's Alliance, and had gone on dressing as a boy as she had done when she was alive. In her mind, it wasn't as if she actually were a boy. She merely didn't care if she was seen as either sex.

It did become bothersome when girls would approach her, though, in the same manner that had just occurred.

She let out a breath as she walked. What was it with girls these days, especially the NPC's? Fawning over boys as if they were an extinct species ... It was disgusting, to say the least.

When she arrived at the meeting point for those who were in charge of either Distraction or Back-up, she didn't say a word, but merely dropped into a chair that was placed on the balcony which overlooked the grassy clearing where 'Angel' stood.

She still didn't understand how he was a threat, but without any proof that he wasn't, she had joined Death's Alliance merely on a whim. From the things that the members had said of Angel, she was too afraid to doubt them.

She crossed one leg daintily over the other and flipped open her book once more, the microphone in her ear crackling with voices of member of Death's Alliance down below.

There was no point in this mission. Absolutely no point. So why were they going out of their way to antagonize Angel? He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was merely roaming the campus, as per norm for him. Without consciously realizing so, her heart went out to him. With a sad look in her gaze, she turned back to her book, the voice of the Leader of Death's Alliance crackling through the microphone. Despite her inauguration into the group, sh had yet to even meet he Leader and Founder of it. Something about him not wanting to meet someone like her ... Well, screw him, she though. She didn't need his approval, nor did she even want it.

Tatsuya peered too the spot where angel stood just as he mostly had done every night. This night however, he decided to ask his team to standby at their respective post as well. He hadn't usually done this but tonight was different. Tonight he planned on capturing Angel and asking him about how he came to get his power. From what he could remember, the guy seemed to be normal. Until he actually fought him for the first time. Two thousand, five hundred, and sixty-nine times. That was how many times the two have fought. Out of those times, Tatsuya could only say he barely won about twenty four times and because quirks from both parties an estimate of nine hundred fights were called to a halt. The death count for Tatsuya was standing at maybe twelve hundred. The rest were run away attempts by Angel. He let out a hard sigh. 'Who am I kidding,' He thought, 'He would've probably won more than ninety percent of those times too.'

When he was alive, there weren't many people that could stand up to him. That's why he gave Angel his name. Sure he had a name that teachers and random NPC's called him, but to Tatsuya he would always be known as Angel. Even with his team, Tatsuya was not enough of a match for the guy. Even if they fought for three days straight he knew eventually he would die. Maybe ten percent was him being generous to himself. Thinking this he quickly noted to take it down to a five percent probability that he could defeat Angel in a fight. He wasn't the type to give up though. No matter how many more times he had to die in this fake world, he was definitely going to achieve his newest plan. "Everyone ready your positions. I'm going to head in." He said to all the members of his Deaths Alliance through his headphones. He took out both of his guns and started to run towards field that Angel normally roamed at night. 'He's always walking around. It's like he's challenging me.' He thought as he gritted his teeth and tried to close the mile gap between him and Angel. He was going to do it this time. No matter how many different weapons Angel made. No matter how many times he was cut. He was definitely going to capture him.

At least that was his intention. He stopped halfway through his run coming upon a pink haired girl who was just sleeping in the middle of the grassy plane. "Everyone hold your positions. I think I've found another lost soul." He commanded. Lost soul was his phrase for people who he discovered weren't NPC's. He gazed at her for a moment to look at her body and facial features. 'No. What am I doing? She might have been attacked by Angel.' He thought while shaking his head. This was one of his distracting quirks. Every time he laid eyes on a female he always had to analyze and if she was awake, hit on her. Just a force of habit. He nudge her a couple times and when she started moving went to hand her one of his guns. They were dead and he never learned gun handling etiquette so the barrel was facing her. He did however make sure to turn on the safety though.

The girl was surprisingly fast because once she had seen the gun she quickly slapped his hand away and kicked herself up. 'So I guess she had some training in her past life. That's good. Shouldn't have to worry about her much when she joins the team. On a lighter note that squeal she let out was pretty darn cute.' He went on to continue thinking in his head about the girl, who he now had a clear view on. He snapped out of his trance when she spoke to him. “Who the hell are you, why were you pointing a freaking gun at my head, and …” She stopped as if she realized something. It was normal for most people of course. The next question was in fact a commonly asked one. “And where am I?”

Tatsuya passed off his usual friendly smile that he gave every time he had heard the question. "Well I'm very sorry miss. I am Tatsuya Kirozu. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was merely trying to hand you this gun. See the safety's on." He explained while pointing at the safety switch on the gun. "As for where your at. Well. You can either call this heaven or hell. Your choice. But let me assure you," His expression hardened a little, "This is definitely not the world of the living. It pains me to tell you this but you are dead and this is Gods smack into the face to you."

He wasn't sure if she had heard him or not since she seemed distracted by looking around. This was also common. The question that came after, however, was a first for him. “Who am I?”
Tatsuya stared at her for a moment. "What?", escaped the only words he could manage to say. "Uh.... How come... You really don't know who you are? Not even your name?" He asked. Usually a person at least had known that much. He stared off towards Angel then back at the girl and sucked on his teeth. "Damn! Everyone standby. We're paused for now. Colette, I need assistance here right now!" He called through the communicator. He turned to the girl once again at a lost for words. Hopefully she at least knew her name.

Sho walked around the campus of the imaginary school in the little light he had, which was only the moon. He didn't need a lighter since he could see perfectly fine. And he didn't need a light to grab the attention from Death's Alliance.

They were always watching him, and he could feel it. The only thing he could do was just walk around, trying to be normal, and then suddenly get attacked, like usual. And like usual, he'd win that fight, sparing them with only a simple stab in the leg so they wouldn't move, which would obviously be healed an hour or so later.

He felt them looking at him again while he just wandered around at night, having no bad intentions other than to just get as far away from them as possible. As much as he didn't like trouble, he couldn't help but not like Death's Alliance. Well.. if one were to be chased and hunted, what kind of person would actually feel good and neutral with the other side? He knew no one of that sort, but then again, he knew no one at all. Other than NPCs, who just reset the next day, there was no one. Actually, there would be no one even with NPCs. They weren't exactly human.

It was all just imaginary, and Sho knew this, despite not remembering anything of his life.

All he remembered was that he died, and didn't have any memories of life.

Again, Sho stopped, his hands in his pocket, and slightly turned around to see them. Death's Alliance. But... one wasn't with them was it? He couldn't tell, but it looked like they were helping the girl on the ground.

At the sight of this, he seemed to have sighed. He could have done that, he could have helped anyone, yet he was always seen as an enemy. Always, 'What the hell... Nurturing someone they don't even know..... Yet.... Tch. They're such a nuisance to do this...'

Sho never wanted to fight. Why couldn't he be like them? Why couldn't he be normal? Sometimes, it made him wish he was an NPC; He wouldn't realize that he would reset everyday, he'd probably have people to talk to, others to rely on. Maybe it would be a nice life. But... that would never happen. As much as he would want it too, it wouldn't be what he was looking for.

'No. Stop thinking about that,' Sho took out his pocket knife and twirled it in his hand for a little while before he used that abnormal ability of his, and made it into a gun; a pistol to be exact. He stopped spinning the weapon and looked down at it with a frown. Violence wasn't what he wanted, 'But they're going to attack soon aren't they...' He glanced towards his enemies, 'Then that leaves me with no choice if they make the first move.'

---

---

Jacob proceeded to follow their leader, Tatsuya. He watched as he helped the girl in front of the group, but constantly turned around to check on Angel's movements. What ever he did scared him, as much as he didn't want to show it, so all he could do was turn around every once and a while to make sure he didn't do anything without them knowing.

He turned back to the girl on the ground. She was taller than him, getting him slightly annoyed, but he said nothing and only glared, like always. Jacob always had that sort of look to him. Despite being such a crybaby on the inside, Jacob had a threatening look to his face, no matter what he did. Unless he was acting. He was great at doing that, but when being the normal him, he'd send glares everyone's way, looking like a little puppy who's about to bite someone.

Jacob narrowed his eyes on the girl, who seemed not to know anything, and growled a little hostilely, "Why the hell are you trusting a random girl who just ended up here out of the random with Angel roaming right behind us? Are you insane? What if she's a spy or something? Or just a distraction huh? We could be dead in minutes!" He stressed.

He probably looked like a demon in the shade of light. It was night, and with the little light form the moon, his eyes were a sort of deep orange, or light red. A little, short, childish-looking demon.

Luckily it was night though, so they probably didn't see him shaking. He was stubborn, frustrating, and childish, but that didn't mean he was fearless. No, Jacob was the exact opposite of that. He feared Angel and he feared getting hurt. It was scary to him, being only a simple 14 year old. He was shaking rapidly, but grabbed his arm to keep himself from moving too much to be noticeable, "It doesn't matter if you think she's cute or whatever, Tastuya. She could be an enemy! And you know what enemies do? They kill you right on sight! We shouldn't trust her!" Jacob said, yelling in a hushed tone so he wouldn't grab Angel's attention. He spoke to his leader like he was the child, and he was the adult, when it was really the other way around.

Crouching, the strain most would feel on their ankles was not clearly existent, Akira took perch on the flat roof top; her lookout location. The slight wind had picked up her navy-blue tinted hair as if playing with it, teasingly, as if the wind was trying to get her attention by repeatedly picking up and dropping. Picking up and dropping. A small growl of frustration escaped the young woman's throat as one slender, luminescent in the moonlight, hand reached up to tame the freely flowing curtain when the wind had died all together. The wind's mockery of her had, undoubtedly, caused a flicker of pent-up anger to emerge.If you were a real person, I would have sliced you in half. came her bitter thoughts, an agitated tone underlying them, addressed to the wind. However, before she could continue her those grim thoughts, a message came through. Straightening herself at the voice that rang, rather scratchily if I might add, through her ear piece, "Damn! Everyone standby. We're paused for now. Colette, I need assistance here right now!", Akira merely gave a shake of her head. They are already having trouble this early into the night? mused her soft voice, the voice that held almost a silky quality to it. Many have told her that the voice she possessed was captivating and, unlike many other things that were spoken by others, Akira had actually agreed.

A small smirk made an appearance on her fair face, twisting the once angelic features into that of her signature Yakuza leader mask. Watching them from the rooftop, it took all of her restrain to hold back a hardened cold laugh seeing the little Jacob freak out. Oh kid.. my my.. You would have died in my world. echoed her sadistic thoughts, her denim-colored eyes narrowing ever-so-slighty. But.. I was like that once... Giving an annoyed snarl at the traitorous direction her mind had taken, Akira quickly spun on her heels which caused the white cloak-jacket to flare out. From this distance, she would have looked like an Angel, more so in the soft moonlight that had sent a halo of it's light around her form, causing it to look like as if she was ethereally glowing. But in reality, she was the Devil. Especially when angered. Finally, after spinning away that annoyance, Akira turned her attention back to the field below.

Clutching her sheathed katana in her delicate fingers, the young woman impatiently bit her lower lip in vexation seeing Angel keep a keen eye on the huddle half-circle of people, her group a tad bit too occupied with the girl. Throwing her hands up in the air, the katana still in the clutches of her now-white knuckles, Akira felt the urge to bash someone's skull in but she resisted it. Point one for Akira.. yay for resisting your murderous urges. flooded the sarcastic thoughts. Finally, taking a deep breath, the young syndicate leader managed to clip out, her tone holding obvious annoyance. "Whats taking you guys so bloody long?! I'm tempted to come down and just drag you guys away by your ears if you don't get a move on it!"

Westley listened to his reply to her questions, and all the while, her heart was hammering in her chest. Fear that she had never felt before – or, well, remembered feeling before – was coiling into a tight ball in her stomach. She was suddenly anxious, and took to shifting her weight back and forth between either one of her feet. His answer caused a frown to line her lips, and for a moment, she simply stared at him.

She allowed the first words that hit her lips to sprout from them.

“You aren’t supposed to hand a person a gun in that manner, especially a person who is lying on the ground. You want to hand it to them like this,” she said, taking the gun from him. She held the barrel in her left hand and the handle in her right, and held it out to him from the side. Once he had accepted it, she stepped back and frowned once again, the pounding more immense in her head. She massaged the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “I don’t know how I know that, I just do, so don’t ask,” she said quietly, almost seeming to speak to herself.

His explanation as to where she was seemed to suddenly hit her, and she lowered her hand just a bit away from her face and simply stared at it, almost appearing to study the lines on it. “I’m … Dead?” she asked, her voice relaying her disbelief, as if she couldn’t comprehend the logic of what he had told her. Of course, she didn’t really know the difference between life and death, for she couldn’t really remember what it was like to be alive.

Which, to be frank, sucked.

Her head throbbed as she concentrated, and her fingers rose to rub at both temples. “I … My name? It’s …” She groaned a little as it became piercing. Dots speckled across her vision, white and black ones that she could almost guarantee weren’t a good sign.

“Weh … It starts with a W-E … Wes … West … West something. West … Ley? Westley. My name is Westley,” she barely managed to get out. She felt her knees begin to tremble with the effort of remaining on her feet, the pain in her head slowly becoming unbearable.

“Westley … Turncot? Yes, Turncot. Westley Turncot,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. She gripped a nearby post. It was then that a girl who also seemed to be around her age approached them at a run. She turned squinted, red eyes up to her, her lips twisted in a slight grimace. She had to look down at the young woman when she knelt, for she was far too tall to look at her directly, and had obviously opted to kneel and look up at her instead.

When she stood, Westley followed her gaze, the expression on her face more than a tad disturbing. It was when her eyes fell on the figure in the field that she felt a bit of an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. The girl’s outright hostility gave her chills, and the figure – which she could now tell was another young man, who also seemed close to sixteen. What was with all of these teenagers in this supposed place for the Dead?

It was when the small boy approached that she felt the animosity crackling in the air. It was nearly thick enough to cut with a knife. She had to say, his words stung just a little more than a bit, and she felt tears prick from her eyes. Out of everything that was happening to her, this little … Prick … Had to add to that?

Without exactly realizing what she had done, she had moved forward, her hand striking out, and if it hit its target, would crack across the smaller boy’s face. She didn’t care how old he was. She didn’t care how vulnerable he looked. He had absolutely no right to pass judgment upon her shoulders when he had yet to even trade one word with her. He had no right.

She found herself leaning over so that she was level with him, a glare in her pained, tear-filled eyes.

“Listen here and listen well. After everything that I had only just recently gone through, I do not need an asshole like you adding to the heavy weight already upon her shoulders. Furthermore, you haven’t the right to berate this young man for anything, when all he was trying to do was help me. So I have a little advice for you. Next time, don’t flip the hell out at someone who doesn’t deserve it before getting the entirety of the truth behind the matter of whom they are. So let me say this, you little prick; I don’t need to deal with you or your negativity right now, so shut, the Hell, Up!

She then turned to face the young woman who had risen with the almost sadistic expression on her face.

“And you,” she said, pointing her index finger at the girl. “I don’t care who that boy is or what he’s done. You haven’t the right to take on a threatening manner towards someone who has yet to do wrong to you. Let me ask you something; has the boy ever done anything to hurt you in any way, that wasn’t some sort of retaliation for something that you did to [/i]him[/i]?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She was obviously waiting for a response to what she had said to them, her anger, confusion, and pain mingling together into one large, unstable and steaming ball of fury.

---

---

The commotion below where the members of Death's Alliance had gathered was disconcerting, to say the least. The voices that crackled over the radio were much too loud to get any reading done, and with a small sigh, she snapped the book shut. Leaving it on her seat, she rose and made her way to the edge of the balcony, were she braced one hand on the edge before flipping over. She bent her knees to take the brunt of the blow from the landing, but stuck to it.

Despite the fact that the leader of Death's Alliance was over there, Reika made her way over, her hands casually in her pockets. She managed to refrain from staring at either Tatsuya or the New Soul, but instead focused on Colette.

"What's going on?" she asked, her soft voice clear as day. The new girl was fuming, Jacob was as red as a tomato, Tatsuya appeared stunned and confused, and Colette had a look of vengeance on her face. Obviously, she had missed quite a lot standing as back-up to this operation. Her eyes found Angel and kept him in sight, her normally expressionless face developing a slight look of discomfort, as if looking at him caused chills to rise up and down her skin.

She turned her face back to the group, her male uniform's jacket billowing slightly in the small breeze that arose, stirring up some leaves and threatening at a storm. She looked up, her discomfort more pronounced then before.

Please, let there be no thunder ...

Tatsuya's hug resonated within her head, the after feeling a nice one, if not a little sobering.

"Whats taking you guys so bloody long?! I'm tempted to come down and just drag you guys away by your ears if you don't get a move on it!

Akira's voice ran over the communicator, making her smile. The more the merrier. She knew that she could trust Akira when it came to fighting; she was a badass, after all. She glanced over at Tatsuya briefly, noticing Jacob standing behind him with a hostile expression. She smiled; Tatsuya probably didn't know he was there.

"Why the hell are you trusting a random girl who just ended up here out of the random with Angel roaming right behind us? Are you insane? What if she's a spy or something? Or just a distraction huh? We could be dead in minutes!"

He was a cutie too, one of her favorites, though she had a certain love for all of the Alliance.

"Ah, Jacob. I didn't know you were behind me this whole time. To answer your question you should already know my reply. It's because she's cute of course. Hehe."

"It doesn't matter if you think she's cute or whatever, Tastuya. She could be an enemy! And you know what enemies do? They kill you right on sight! We shouldn't trust her!"

Colette watched the exchange with a look of slight boredom, knowing very well the feelings of her comrades. Lost Souls presented an inherent danger, even if it wasn't unexpected. She could only sympathize.

The girl flipped.

“I don’t care who that boy is or what he’s done. You haven’t the right to take on a threatening manner towards someone who has yet to do wrong to you. Let me ask you something; has the boy ever done anything to hurt you in any way, that wasn’t some sort of retaliation for something that you did to him?”

Colette gave her a disdainful look, though she could understand the sentiment. A lamb defending the wolf, not knowing any better. She gave her a sad smile, and then turned away, as if she was speaking to herself in that slowly darkening field.

"I've lost 112 limbs and over 1000 liters of blood. I've been been beheaded 61 times and impaled 73. Mostly though, I've been shot; I think about 446 times now, resulting altogether in about 600 deaths."

She paused, looking at her hands with a smile that turned into a unwilling grimace. They were stained with something that she could no longer see, something that she could no longer afford to feel.

Regret.

"I've died over and over again--" She started, her eyes burning and head throbbing "--and yet I can't regret it in the least. God not only dealt me and everyone here a bad hand, but he put us here, in this infernal purgatory. The least I can do to repay his kindness is to make hell for his agent, or rather, angel."

Her hands were now shaking, and she couldn't help but glance over at their enemy. She hated this place. She hated him.

She hated herself more though. She took solace in that fact. It gave her a twisted reason to keep going.

"So you'll have to excuse me, I guess provocation is a matter of perception."

It was quiet now, the approaching footsteps of her comrade breaking up the ensemble of wind and silence. This is why she disliked Lost Souls, and why she fought for them.

So they could know.

"What's going on?"

Colette glanced over at the newcomer, changing her expression the best she could. She hated wearing that scary look with her subordinates around, especially with the shy ones like Reika. She knew that she could be threatening, but it certainly wasn't something that she liked to do. She just got caught up in the moment sometimes; caught up in her emotions.

"Nothing Reika, just a bleeding heart lost soul. You should head inside--" she said, smiling as gently as she could manage "--it might get a little crazy out here." She turned towards Tatsuya, looking him in the eyes with an uncharacteristically serious look.

"What's the plan, commander?"

"Field right? Roger roger, On my way." Colettes voice said back to him on the communicator.
"Roger that." Tatsuya said back having to look back at the mysterious girl who took his weapon from him trying to show him how to properly hand it to someone. "Thanks." He said as she showed him. He would make sure to remember her teachings. Just then a thought hit his head, but it was already answered by the girl. “I don’t know how I know that, I just do, so don’t ask,” she said. He decided to drop his question. He couldn't help but feel a bit concerned for her. It must have been hard being dead and not remembering how you died. Although, Tatsuya wished everyday that he could forget how he died. No. Not how he died but the events that occurred before and after his death.
“I’m … Dead?” She asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice. "Yeah." Tatsuya said in a compassionate tone. "I'm sorry. My team and I will help you get your memories back. That's the most we could help with if possible, but, could you at least try to remember your name?"
The girl rubbed her temples in deep thought. “I … My name? It’s …” She groaned. Tatsuya assured her to keep on going. “Weh … It starts with a W-E … Wes … West … West something. West … Ley? Westley. My name is Westley,” She finally let out. “Westley … Turncot? Yes, Turncot. Westley Turncot,” She seemed to be a little dizzy and fell to hold onto a nearby post. "Easy now. Hehe. Westley Turncot huh? Well that's a beautiful name. I'm glad you remembered it." He said to her.

"Lost soul?" Colette asked as she finally caught up. "Colette!!! My beautiful angel!!" Tastsuya called as he went to give her a huge head. "Cute." She said. She was obviously talking about Westly but Tatsuya took it as a direct comment to himself. "Oh youuu. Your gonna make me blush." He said holding his face and swaying side to side like a loves-truck girl. "...But I think I have my sights set on something else right now." She continued looking towards Angels direction. Tatsuya sucked on his teeth once again looking at the man who was also staring in his direction. 'What is he staring at?' He thought.
"Why the hell are you trusting a random girl who just ended up here out of the random with Angel roaming right behind us? Are you insane? What if she's a spy or something? Or just a distraction huh? We could be dead in minutes!" A voice called from behind him.
"Ah, Jacob. I didn't know you were behind me this whole time." Tatsuya said utterly surprised. It wasn't really the kids fault that he was so small. "To answer your question you should already know my reply. It's because she's cute of course. Hehe." He said, teasing the boy.
"It doesn't matter if you think she's cute or whatever, Tastuya. She could be an enemy! And you know what enemies do? They kill you right on sight! We shouldn't trust her!" The boy snapped back. It wasn't long after that that Jacob received a punch to his face by a teary eyed Westley. 'Ouch. That has to hurt.' Tatsuya thought while rubbing his own face.

As if the girls lost control of her emotions she started going off on everyone. Well everyone besides Tatsuya to his relief. What came next however, was not to his relief at all. "What's going on?" Came the voice of Reika, the only person on his team that Tatsuya wasn't comfortable around. "N-Nothing. The plan just hit a slight speed bump is all." He said while turning his face away from the girl. It wasn't as if he didn't like her. He just couldn't bring himself to come into face to face contact with her. "I'm a... I'm glad you came. Since Westley and Jacob seem to get along so well, can you take them and wait back at the building? That would be appreciated." His tone was low and carried a hint of sadness which he tried to hide. "Alright Colette, let's do this thing." He said now turning to his right hand woman who asked for a plan. "Well I was just thinking we can just go up to him and capture him." He said in a lackluster tone.


Tatsuya then turned once more before leaving with Colette. "Hey. Try not to cry okay." He said while whiping his thumb on her cheek. "Though it does express your beauty well, I don't like to see girls cry. If you want to know what Angel has done, well, he has killed me more than a thousand times. Although I managed to get him almost a hundred." He said while smiling before heading off to Angels position. "Remember Col, we want to capture him this time, not kill him." He then put his hand on his communicator to try to rid it of the muffling sound. "Hey Aki. Why don't you come join us and show Angel that beautiful bod.. I mean sword of yours?" He said. The more help the better after all.

Nobuo followed every order given, as usual, and the night did have quite an occurance: It was a New Soul. Obviously, she was upset, he did had no clue how to join in the conversation, so he kept his mouth shut while using the scope onhi sniper rifle to examine the area for any hostiles, So far, it was only "Angel", which he lowered his rifle and awaited further orders.

A small hiss radiated through Tatsuya's ear piece, the tone obviously annoyed despite the crackling connection "Excuse me.. what did you say Tatsuya?! Just you wait until I get down from the roof." Clutching the katana in her right hand, ignoring the numbing pain that resulted in whitening knuckles, Akira's dark blue eyes trained onto the small gathering of her group members below in the field. An amused smirk painted it’s way onto her face as the Death Alliance occupants looked around, slightly confused. It took a mere few seconds before their gazes landed on the 6-story building then finally, on the ethereal looking female at the top. Well.. time to send Tatsuya a personal message came her bitter thoughts, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Walking to the edge of the roof, Akira sent a glare at the male figure before quickly swiping a flattened hand across the ivory colored skin at her throat, signifying he was more likely than not going to get pummeled later. Retreating a few steps away from the drop off, still holding the katana tightly, the young female Yakuza took a running start to the edge. It was a moment that caused the observer's hearts to still as the petite woman leapt off the solid platform. In those few seconds of sailing through the air, Akira managed to toss the katana rather high up in the air, the wind picking up the white jacket-cloak causing it to flare out around her legs

Those few seconds fleeting, however, and soon Akira was hanging by an upper branch of the tree next to the building. Sending a glance heavenward to eye the position of her weapon, the katana not quite close to the ground yet, the syndicate member decided let go of the branch before landing in a crouching position on the tall grass below. Before straightening herself, Akira merely held a hand out as if to receive something. And receive she did; the katana landed perfectly in her open palm. Closing her fingers around it, she finally stood up before training her eyes onto the Death's Alliance's huddle. Crossing over to them, her appearance giving off a faint image of an Angel of Death (ironic), the dark blue eyes were still narrowed, her bare feet making hardly any noise in the grass. It was then that the syndicate leader started to size up the new soul.

Pausing briefly on the outside of the circle, Akira stared at the girl with cold eyes before casting her a half-smile. "Hey." was all she said to the new girl. The dark blue eyes, however, were far more friendly and welcoming. Tearing her gaze away from the pink-haired girl, she finally spotted the blonde-haired teenage standing next to the new soul. Walking over to Jacob, Akira tousled his hair, her white hand contrasting greatly against the golden mop on his head, before speaking, the voice as silky as always ”Didn’t we discuss this before? Stop worrying so much, kid.” she rang out, before flashing him a slightly broader smile, a smile that almost border lined a smirk. Then she turned to Tatsuya

Without warning, Akira’s balled up fist tore through the air, landing a square blow on his jaw. Sending a cold gaze at the stumbling back man, she hissed out, the silky voice now not sounding so heavensent. ”What did I say about calling me ‘Aki’ or using perverted mannerisms towards me!? Retreating her fist to her side, Akira merely shook her head before tossing Reika a warm smirk. ”Yo.. where have you been hiding all day? Library?” she inquired of the girl before nodding at Colette. Out of the people in Death’s Alliance, the girl Akira liked the most was definitely Reika. After all, this girl wasn’t like most of the same gender, Reika didn’t seem to care about superficial things. Sending another appraising glance at Westley, the female Yakuza put the katana behind her shoulders, both hands resting on either end. ”So.. what’s the plan of action? Or does the great and all powerful Tatsuya not have one?” she mused, her tone slightly mocking.

Nobuo paid no attention to Akira's drop from the building, instead watching from a way's behind of the group with the scope on his sniper rifle, again. He was in one of the trees scattered across the area, for stealth. He could almost swear Angel was anticipating the Alliance's next move. He decided to inform the group what was going on through his earpiece. "Angel turned a knife into a pistol; he appears to be expecting us. Should I aim at his legs to render him immobile?"

Akira appeared to be angered at being called 'Aki", plus something to do with perversion. Not that he would know anything about that, having never been exposed top sex or romance. Quite frankly, most any conversation they had was about something alien to him. This is why he was often left out of the loop. Either way, he did not mind what they were saying.

All he could think of was the task at hand. Capturing Angel would not be easy. A direct confrontation would surely result in failure. At least, from the whole group's experience. Their best best would be to wait until Angel did not expect them, though it would seem he did. That complicated matters. Figuring there was not much time, Nobuo felt he should receive his answer quickly.

Therefore, he added, "We may not get another chance like this for the day, given the circumstances. He's just standing there, but could move at any moment."

The only thing to be done until further instructions was to aim his sniper rifle at one of the legs and wait for Tatsuya's permission to shoot. With the range and distance, Angel's pistol would do no good, though Nobuo was better off taking the supposed advantage with a grain of salt. This enemy was a tricky one, there was no telling what could happen.

Izumi quickly followed orders, walking over to where a small group - The Alliance - had formed, of course Izumi was late, nothing different there then, but nobody seemed to mind.
Peering over to where everyone was looking, she saw a lost soul, definitely older than her with pink locks and a pretty face.
Listening to everyone talk, Izumi stood silent, forcing a small smile onto her face when she looked at the girl.

Tatsuya then spoke about Angel and Izumi bit her lip - She never did like this part, the part where they would attack Angel, granted he was their enemy and none of them could die but, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty; although Izumi would never voice this aloud.

What should she do now? Izumi was just the distraction and while she could handle a gun, very well in fact, Izumi knew that she could never bring herself to doing so.
Turning to the person closest to her, Jacob, Izumi speaks in a soft voice: "S-Should I, um..?" Words fail the girl and instead, she is left looking at the ground, dammit, Izumi curses herself, why can't I just speak to people.

Clenching her fists, Izumi loads the little gun she always keeps in her pocket, certain she wouldn't use it but you must always be prepared - Right?
Watching as everyone got into position, Izumi's eyes skimmed over Angel, he was the only thing that stood in their way, but what did he stand between: Heaven? Hell? Nothing? This was all unknown to Izumi and she didn't like that uncertainty, not one bit.

Hearing Tatsuya speak about Jacob and the lost soul, Westley?, she readily involved herself.
"Should I join them?" Izumi asks in that little quiet voice of hers, "I mean, I doubt I'd be much help out here."

"Ah, Jacob. I didn't know you were behind me this whole time. To answer your question you should already know my reply. It's because she's cute of course. Hehe."

Jacob made a slight growl. Again, he looked like a little puppy getting ready to bite, but that was just him on the outside. He was just worked out because he was afraid, which he wished no one could see, and hoped no one could. Suddenly, he was then slapped/hit (OOC: Slap, hit, I can't tell!) by the girl in front of him.

“Listen here and listen well. After everything that I had only just recently gone through, I do not need an asshole like you adding to the heavy weight already upon her shoulders. Furthermore, you haven’t the right to berate this young man for anything, when all he was trying to do was help me. So I have a little advice for you. Next time, don’t flip the hell out at someone who doesn’t deserve it before getting the entirety of the truth behind the matter of whom they are. So let me say this, you little prick; I don’t need to deal with you or your negativity right now, so shut, the Hell, Up!"

If the quote 'slap sense into' was true, then it happened to the short kid just then. He blinked a little while, rubbing his cheek and then staring at the girl. He didn't say anything for a long while either. A small face of guilt appeared over him and he grumbled a little, 'It may too late to apologize...' He thought to himself, noticing how irrational he was.

Nevertheless, he did a small and formal bow, something he was taught by a certain someone in life, and quickly said, "I'm truly sorry for my misbehavior Ma'am." His face was a little red since he wasn't used to saying something so formal, not to mention he began to rethink what he said before, and he got slapped in the middle of his whole entire group.

Though as he raised his head from the bow, he felt a hand pass through his hair, and when he looked upwards, it was Akira. Despite her height, Jacob really adored her in some way, somewhat like a student and master, or mother and child. Something of that sort, because he was amazed by her skills. It was like she was second in control besides Colette, ”Didn’t we discuss this before? Stop worrying so much, kid.”

After her genuine smile became a slight smirk, Jacob became even more red. Indeed, he was easy to embarrass. In fact, easier than most people, "W-worry? Worry about what! I-If you think I'm worrying a-about Angel, t-then you're wrong!" His small stuttering showed that it was quite obvious though.

His eyes were still laying on Angel though, every once and a while, just to make sure, but he almost always knew that Angel would basically never make the first move. While he rubbed his cheek where he was slapped, he heard another voice, "S-Should I, um..? Should I join them? I mean, I doubt I'd be much help out here."

Jacob looked to his side to see Izumi, who was around 6 or so inches taller than him, though he didn't mind since she resembled his sister so much, and answered her question. He wasn't smiling, since he hardly ever did, but.. well... his expression was... well... different, you could put it, "W-what're you talking about? Of course you'll be help... Just... w-well... offer yourself up and Tatsuya should... um... put ya somewhere, y-you know?" Again, stuttering, diverting his eyes, thing he always did.

---

---

Kei did a little skip through the hallways of the dark school with no flash light, or light. He was walking in complete darkness, and for once, a serious look was on his face, despite him always smiling like an insane and mental idiot. What was he thinking about? What was he doing? That was always a secret. He was known to go hopping off on his own, not following orders and jumping in when he 'felt like it.'

He hit a dead stop with his feet and turned to his left where a few rows of windows were lined together. The moon provided some light for the strange young man was he looked out and found Death's Alliance, the party he always was supposed to stay close to, and Angel, the enemy they were supposed to get rid of, though Kei never really hated him. He always said the more interesting the prey was, the more interesting the hunt would be. And what does Kei like? Interesting things.

"Mm... are they planning an attack? Without me?" He pouted out loud to himself before taking his hands out of his pockets and sliding open the window to see the view a little more clear. He then noticed a pink haired girl on the ground, who he didn't even recognize, "Ehhhhh...." He let the word ring through the empty halls, "Who's she?" He asked himself again.

But instead of going down to the first floor and running to the group, or making a sort of signal or something, Kei cupped his hands around his mouth, and simply shouted to them, "Neh, Tastuya! Who ya got down there? What's the plan? Hey, hey! Let me in it too!"

Idiot? Yeah, most definitely. Kei didn't care if Angel heard him because he knew quite alot about him, and knew he wouldn't attack just some random person yelling from the second floor of the school building. Of course, it was still stupid because it was loud and broke the silence between the large space from Angel and Death's Alliance. But what did he care? He was just some insane idiot after all, 'Yeah... an insane idiot... that's what I am, isn't that right?' He asked himself seriously, though his expression still wore that fake smile, like always.



Sho could still hear their voices in the distance. He gripped the pistol even harder and continued to walk in the opposite direction. Every night, each night, all night, they're be planning, he'd be running, then they'd fight. Why? Maybe they did, but Sho didn't. Why couldn't they accept him? Did he do something wrong? Did it have to do with his life? The one he couldn't remember?

That's right, he couldn't remember. If he couldn't remember, then things wouldn't solve out. At least, not by fighting.

He let out a tired sigh before sitting down on a small raised part of the ground, sort of like a miniature hill, and spinning the gun in his hand, "If you're going to come and get me, then do it quick..." He said quietly, knowing they couldn't hear, but his stare at the large group was quite strict and harsh.

It was kind of like acting, at least on his part.

He even heard Kei, one of the very few who didn't really care who Sho was, yell from the building and let out a second sigh, knowing he'd probably be scolded, though he didn't really care. It was neutral, and it wasn't his fault for his punishment.

But his eyes didn't leave Death's Alliance. He won, almost every time, and he hated losing. He never really knew why, but it was just... competition in some way, 'If they're going to try and beat me, I'll prevent that from happening.' He stopped spinning the pistol, and waited for their move patiently, like he did every other night from before.

“I’m not going to let you hurt someone who has yet to cause harm unless he was provoked. What you have said is quite terrible, but did you ever once stop to think that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for that fact that you go after him first?”

"Would everyone just SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!"

She smiled. Tatsuya sure knew how to break up an awkward moment.

Colette bit her lip, watching the girl take off. She knew that this would happen, it was almost a given. Sighing, she watched Reika grab at the girl, but to no avail. The shy girl turned towards her in appeal.

"We have to stop her. It isn't safe for her to be out there, especially with the storm coming in, she's in danger, Colette, we have to-"

She glanced up at the spot where the lightning flashed, and then at Reika. The look on her face illustrated her feelings perfectly.

"Colette, we have to go get her, before she hurts herself. No man is left behind and all of that nonsense."

It's not nonsense.


"If you won't help her, then I will."

Colette sighed, waiting for Tatsuya to finish his hug. The big softie.

Seeing him let go she reached out as well, pulling the girl into a soft embrace of her own while looking down into the girls eyes. She smiled.

"Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds, but--" she paused, her eyes drifting back towards the sky "--I don't think this thunderstorm is going to let up. You look scared--" she sighed, taking a step back with her arms on the girls shoulders "--and that's something I don't want any of my subordinates to feel, at least if I have a say in it."

She cracked her knuckles as she stepped back, a slight smirk taking root.

"So do me a favor; let us handle this. I won't let that thing hurt her, or anyone."

She didn't wait for an answer. Slightly embarrassed, she turned towards Tatsuya. She knew that she wasn't a leader like him, so she had to make up the difference in any way she could.

"That was Takeda, right?" Let me take point, okay? If he has a gun then I'll be the bullet sponge, need be. Tell Nobou not to fire too, with the girl being so close."

It wasn't an enviable job. Bullets still hurt, after all, but it was her job to do what was necessary. It was a matter of logic; her athletic frame stood a better chance at absorbing bullets than Akira's or Tatsuya's. She had taken hard hits her whole life and now in the afterlife, it was just another game and another aggressive oponent.

Or so she told herself. Angel was far more than an enemy.

She turned towards Angel again, readying her body as she watched the lost soul talk to him. She turned her head and smiled at Akira and Tatsuya, giving them a thumbs up.

"Tatsuya, would you grab her? I don't know what sort of shape I'll be in once we're in range." She asked, resigned to her imminent fate.

A curse for sure.

One that she didn't mind in the slightest.

Tatuya waited for Akira to to catch up. Upon her arrival he looked at her and smiled saying, "Oh. Hey Aki you finally," BAM. His sentence was stopped by Akiras punch. It wan't expected so he didn't have time to dodge, only flow with it to soften up the blow. He accidentally bit his check in the process. ”What did I say about calling me ‘Aki’ or using perverted mannerisms towards me!?" She yelled at him. Tatsuya gave a slight chuckle as he spat out the blood that was in his mouth. "I'm sorry. Geez I was only giving you a compliment. Didn't expect you to take it so seriously. Hehe." He always tried to give her compliments. In return, she would always hit him or try to kill him. So far, his death count by her was around ten. He couldn't help it though since he didn't hit girls. ”So.. what’s the plan of action? Or does the great and all powerful Tatsuya not have one?” She asked.
Tatsuya puffed out his chest and rubbed his nose. "Of course I have a plan. The plan is..."

"We may not get another chance like this for the day, given the circumstances. He's just standing there, but could move at any moment." Nobou interrupted through the intercom.

"I know I was just about to explain the plan. The plan is..."

He was once again interrupted by Izumi who had also followed him. He couldn't really tell if Jacob and her were to follow him or not because they were so small. She seemed to be trying to say something. "C'mon Izu. You can say it." He said trying to relieve her of her shyness.
"Should I join them?"Izumi asked in a quiet tone."I mean, I doubt I'd be much help out here." Before Tatsuya was able to tell her that wasn't the case, Jacob beat him to it.
"He's right you know." Tatsuya agreed. "Your a great piece of this teams puzzle."
He flashed her a friendly, almosy big brother like smile. "Listen up the plan is..."
“I’m not going to let you hurt someone who has yet to cause harm unless he was provoked. What you have said is quite terrible, but did you ever once stop to think that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't do it if it weren't for that fact that you go after him first?” Westley cut in.

This was the last straw for Tatsuya's friendly side. "Would everyone just SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!" He roared in anger. He didn't even have the patience to reply to Kei's question. "For one, this isn't a killing mission it's a capture. I'm sure Jacob, being the strategist and all briefed you on what to do. Second of all, how the hell are we going to capture Angel if we're all out here. He can escape from all sides. Third, you have post for a reason and shouldn't move from them because you have a gut feeling too. Damn. What's the point of making a plan if no one follows suit. This is how people die." His memory went back to the time he gave his team strict orders to stay put in rescuing the girl he took on.They were all beaten halfway to death and as far as Tatsuya could tell, he was the only one to actually die. He yelled out 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!' In anger as he slammed his fist hard into the ground. He hated flashbacks and hated memorizing things from his past life. His real life.

Westley ran in Angels direction, possibly hoping to talk to him. Tatsuya didn't know how Angel would respond but he couldn't waste pain and suffering in his team to try and stop her for no other cause than that. If Angel were to attack her then it would be a good eye opener for the girl anyway.

The clouds in the sky were forming a storm, almost like they were reacting to the leaders anger. When Reika fell to the ground, it was almost on instinct that Tatsuya tried to help he up. He didn't say anything of course but he would show that he cared by helping the girl get back to her feet. Stumbling, she said, "Colette, we have to go get her, before she hurts herself. No man is left behind and all of that nonsense,"
"She's not one of us. Not yet. As of now we can't really trust her and I don't want wasted pain to come to my team. She made the choice to approach him. Not us." His voice was a mix of coldness, softness, and sadness. He didn't know why people just wouldn't be patient and do what they were told. Sure they could revive if they died here, but, what would be the point of that. It would just make everyday reset and it would be a continuous rotation, almost like being an NPC.

"If you won't help her, then I will," She claimed as she started moving. Tatsuya quickly grabbed her and held her head to his chest so that she wouldn't see the sad look on his face. His heart was pounding rapidly, almost to a state of a heart attack. "Please. Don't go. I don't want to see you get hurt. Not...not...not you okay?" He said in a calm voice low enough so that only she could here him. Still not letting go, he spoke louder so that his team could here him.
"Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds, but--" Colette said starting to look at the sky "--I don't think this thunderstorm is going to let up. You look scared--"She told Reika while taking a step back and sighing, "--and that's something I don't want any of my subordinates to feel, at least if I have a say in it."

She cracked her knuckles as she stepped back forming a slight smile on her face

"So do me a favor; let us handle this. I won't let that thing hurt her, or anyone."


"That was Takeda, right? Let me take point, okay? If he has a gun then I'll be the bullet sponge, need be. Tell Nobou not to fire too, with the girl being so close."

"No. I won't let anyone on my team take damage for me. Especially not when Angel can just escape. This mission is already a failure." Tatsuya replied.

"We are canceling the mission. Understood. Everyone besides Akira, Nobuo, and I will go back inside the building and wait for a debriefing. Do I make myself clear?" He said with dominance in his voice. It was an unexpected thing when he switched the light like this. He usually wasn't one to scold his team but he was growing tired of the repeat of mission failures and easy to solve mess ups. Turning to Colette he said, "The reason your not with me is because as co-leader, I need you to talk to the people going with you and watch them. Take Reika with you. Akira. You stay by me and wait for my word on what to do next."
He put his hand on the communicator. "Nobuo. Be prepare to shoot if Angel tries anything with the girl. Roger?"

Nobuo heard, via the earpiece, Tatsuya in a rampage (sort of) and knew he was not being a proper soldier. The muscle of the group made a mental note to discipline himself for that by adding 20 more push ups to a later workout session. He listened to the rest of the conversation while keeping his aim on Angel while the same hostile walked. Suddenly, he flinched when he heard the leader shout out so loudly, it was nearly deafening.

He had mixed feelings on what to do when Westley walked over to Angel's side. She could wind up hurt or worse, yet he knew better than to leave his post. Unless ordered to do so, he would not do it. As if the piercing sound of the Tatsuya's roar was not enough, a thunderstorm came overhead, adding even more loud sounds which threatened to break his concentration. Still, he kept focused.

Once ordered to be ready to shoot, Nobuo nodded and said, "Roger. Locking on target."

Instead of one of the legs, now, he aimed at the head. He did not expect Angel to notice him in the tree, but even so, the range was more than long enough that a pistol would not cut it. The capture mission failed before it began, so he felt a kill would be more prudent, if the need to shoot arose. No problem. I can handle one shot.

Whatever happened next was uncertain, yet he was ready for further instructions, as usual. He was never that much of a talker. He was more of a listener, which made him an ideal soldier. At any rate, he was prepared for whatever to come.

An expression that could only be classified as amusement spread it’s way onto the fair face of Akira Tonaka. The young Yakuza hovered on the edges of their huddle, watching the exchange of words with great relaxation. My my.. this has gotten quite messy came the merry thoughts as those navy-blue depths glinted in a sadistic mix of glee and anticipation. The cause for this? Why, the agitated yells that were, currently, erupting from the members of Death’s Alliance as well as the chaos that stemmed from the new soul’s bolting.

Keeping her eyes trained on the fleeing figure of the pink-haired girl for a few moments, the syndicate member took those seconds to disconnect from the disruptions by closing her eyes. As Akira’s eyelids fluttered open after a few heartbeats,a mere sigh escaped her being before muttering, her tone holding a slight detection of annoyance. ”She’ll be fine. She knows what she’s doing.. that or she’s trying to be brave.” Giving a roll of those denim-hued orbs, her tapered fingers tightened even further on the resting sheathed blade that was, still, tucked neatly across the back of her neck. Calm down Akira.. what happens when you get annoyed? You get violent.. try to restrain from killing another member. flooded the chastising thoughts, truth embedded behind each syllable.

Relaxing just slightly, the female decided to train her gaze upwards to focus on the fast-approaching storm clouds. A tsk of discomfort was outwardly expressed by their presence. It’s not like she was afraid of the rain or water per-say, it was more or less a nuisance in Akira’s schedule. This meant she couldn’t train outside, and the longer it rained, the longer the Yakuza leader was cooped up inside. Displaying another irritated shake of her head, the tinted strands flying, Akira focused on Reika’s worried expression. Casting her a sympathetic smirk, Akira turned to the cross-dressing female. ”You should get inside.” exited the harsh words from her mouth, however, they held concern and a gentleness that was typically not displayed.

Turning to Tatsuya, a satisfied nod was directed to their leader as he told her to stay. Not that it really surprised her...In the whole of Death’s Alliance, Akira has had the fewest deaths by Angel. A whopping 9, most of which had occurred due to the “ghosting” ability their enemy possessed. Gritting her teeth, memories of those 9 times flooded her mind, the 9 times she was humiliated. It was as if that anger was being channelled outwards, the air around the Yakuza leader becoming suddenly tense, a dangerous aura radiating off her. ”Good.” was all she simply said, a murderous tone underlying that one simple word.

“I’m not going to let you hurt someone who has yet to cause harm unless he was provoked. What you have said is quite terrible, but did you ever once stop to think that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for that fact that you go after him first?”

Jacob looked at the pink-haired girl with disbelief. Even though he tried his best to be polite, he couldn't help but let the words escape his mouth for some reason, "A-are you an idiot...?" It made him take back his words about her working with Angel, and apparently, she knew nothing of him. And in some ways, it made him a little nervous.

"You don't just go walking up to any strange ya know! He has a gun in his hand and you're just going to approach him?" He asked, watching the newly met stranger walk off in the direction of their enemy, "Did you not hear Colette? She's died hundreds of times! We all have! And at the hand of that guy! That creature, sitting over there so calmly! You're risking your life you know!"

Although they were in a bit of a never ending world, where they could practically live forever in that false place, he still worries for people, even though he had an odd way of showing it. Getting hurt wasn't something he liked to see. Especially since he nearly saw his own sister crushed by a truck before he pushed her out of the way. If he didn't, she probably would have ended up there in his place. He just hated to see other people get hurt, including his little team, Death's Alliance. He didn't care who Angel was, as long as he was punished for his actions, Jacob could finally be content.

---

---

Kei continued to watch from above, only hearing little squeaks in the distance and then followed the pink-haired girl, who he didn't know the name of just yet, walk over to Angel. A surprised look came to his face as he frowned a little and tilted his head with confusion, "Hmm? What's this? If she trying to provoke him or something?"

He then took in another explanation, and the frown on his face turned into a slight mischievous smile as he leaned onto the window, and decided to join the party, "It'd be no fun if I just watched, now would it?"

While most people would have used the stairs, Kei, being the insane maniac he was, jumped from the window. He was used to getting hurt and killing himself in this new world of theirs. He killed himself in the first life, so what harm could it do in the never ending second? None. Exactly. So he hopped down from the building, but to avoid too much attention, he grabbed onto a branch of the tree and swung down, cutting himself in the process, but only laughing it off later on. He wasn't called mental for no reason.

He then began to watch the group, like always, behind the tree. Kei wasn't the type of person to stick to orders, or favor people rather than be alone, so he always stayed close, but not as close as they did with each other. He was like a third wheel, but he did it on purpose.

Kei was like a shadow; left unnoticed, and always following you, even in the dark.

---

---

While just fiddling with his gun, someone approached him, and he didn't even notice until she spoke to him when he stopped and laid it on the ground.

“Hello. I’m Westley. And you are?”

She then sat next to him, which surprised him even further. Sho also took note of the blood trickling down her nose, but said nothing of it just yet. [ Who was she? He didn't recall seeing her face from before. Possibly during life, but he didn't even remember that. She wasn't apart of Death's Alliance since she just... well... appeared out of no where, so it made him even more curious.

But Sho was always a little aware of his words. If she was, and he actually said something, that meant more points for the other team. But he wasn't that hostile towards them, and from what he observed from afar, she wasn't really with them, so he decided, why not?

"Sho..." He seemed to try to struggle to find the words, even though it was only saying his name since he didn't really say very much most of the time, "Sho Nakamura." He finished. Since he didn't know anyone for a long while, he didn't know what else to say. He completely forgot about handshakes, or saying hello or adding onto his sentence since the only way he greeted people was by fighting, and the only people he greeted was Death's Alliance, who he really wasn't very friendly with.

“They’re quite the dumbasses, aren’t they?”

Again, Sho was amazed by her. She was different, that was for sure, and now he knew that she was probably able to be trusted. If not, she'd end up like all the others. His hand was still kept on his gun, just incase, which he doubted and hoped he wouldn't have to use, but just incase. Her question though, made him chuckle a little, but he said nothing of it and calmed himself down a minute later.

“So … Are you really an Angel?”[/b]

"An... Angel...." He repeated slowly before seeming to have been thinking about his answer and saying, "To them." He nudged his head towards Death's Alliance, the group which kept on staring at him, "But if you're talking about the real angels up there," He looked to the sky, "Then no, I'm not."

Sho turned to look at her again, and poked her nose and said, "You're bleeding." He stated.

"She may not be one of us - yet - but that doesn't mean that we have the right to let her die. Each and every one of us know what it's like to be killed by Angel, and I know that each of us would not wish that fate upon another person," she said pointedly, already moving towards the field.

Fingers curled around her wrist and she felt herself tugged back. She gasped a bit, her eyes widening into large brown orbs, and she stumbled a bit as she moved backwards. Her shoulder blades met something hard - a chest? - and arms wound around her shoulders. The tall frame of the person that had grabbed her caused her to frown, and she felt her lips twist a bit in thought.

"Tatsuya-senpai?" she asked, the tone of her voice expressing her surprise.

"Please. Don't go. I don't want to see you get hurt. Not...not...not you okay?"

She blinked, her mind going blank in response for the moment. He kept his arms around her, even while Colette approached and hugged her gently. This was more touching then she had received in the last five years of her life, and since she had arrived in the Afterlife. It was a bit overwhelming, true, but it felt ... Nice.

She was still drawing a blank on how to respond to them, though, the words from Tatsuya and the hugs from both of them combining in her mind and turning her brain to, well, mush.

After a moment of dumbfounded silence, she nodded a little, an answer to both of them. "O-okay ... I won't go," she mumbled, this one a response to Tatsuya. Since he had obviously gone to such lengths to make sure that only she had heard him, she spoke softly so that he, and only he, hard her.

She looked up at Colette, her eyes speculative and uncertain, and when Akira spoke, she felt her lips turn out in a pout. Jeez, since when did she become so childish? She couldn't really help it, though, and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not as defenseless as you guys all seem to think I am," she grumbled, but had a bland expression on her face. "Tatsuya-senpai, you can let go now," she said, tilting her had back so that she could look up at him. It was an uncomfortable position, but it was the only way that she could look directly at him without turning her entire body. She managed to pull out of his seemingly-endless hug, and almost danced out of his arms. She managed to catch herself before she could yet again fall, and turned to face them.

She really did care about these people, even if they were all morons. Colette and Akira were always watching out for her and the other klutzes in the group, and Tatsuya was a great leader, she had to admit. She adored Colette and Akira, but just couldn't wrap her head around Tatsuya. What was with him? One minute he was avoiding her as though she were the Queen of the Lepers, and the next, he was almost begging her not to put herself into harm's way.

He gave her migraines.

Reika puffed out a breath and lifted her hand above her head, scratching the back of it absentmindedly. She didn't care how deeply in thought she appeared, or if she looked to be brooding. Instead, she mulled through her mangled thoughts, attempting to sort them into the neat little cabinets she had had them in originally.

"Fine, I'll go back inside. But I'm going to have a serious discussion with where I'm placed in the Alliance at our next meeting," she finally said, her eyes promising that she would carry through with her words, while her expression was blank, as per norm for her. With that, she turned on her heel, her hands in her black pant's pockets, and started towards the Academy.

"Come on you two, you heard the bosses," she said, linking her arms through Izumi's and Jacob's. With a tug, she was pulling them back towards the school, the incoming storm momentarily forgotten.

---

---

It took him a while to answer her. It was obvious that he was hesitant on trusting her - and who could blame him? From what Death's Alliance had said, if he thought that she was with him, then he had every right to doubt her motives. When he finally introduced himself correctly, she smiled.

"Sho Nakamura ... An interesting name. I-" she cut off, her next words completely and utterly untrue. She had planned to say, 'I've never heard it before. It's unique,' but how would she know what names she'd heard before when she could barely remember her own name? She shook her head and managed a small smile. "Never mind," she said with a small shrug. She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, her chin coming to rest on the crook between where they met.

His response about the Angel question caused a silly grin to lift to her lips. "I figured you weren't. I don't get it; they seem to have an all-out war going on with you, while you just don't seem to care either way," she said, almost seeming to be thinking out loud.

She straightened and lifted a finger to swipe at the blood. She lifted her hand and glanced at it. "Huh. Guess I am," she said, not seeming to really care at all. "I have a migraine, that's all. I get bloody noses when I-"

Again, she was speaking without thinking, and somehow remembering without remembering. She lifted her hands and rubbed at her temples. "I think that I get bloody noses when I have migraines ..." she trailed off, the pounding in her head far more significant then before. She managed a slightly shaky smile as she looked up at him. "A little blood never hurt anyone," she shrugged. She suddenly leaned over, her clean hand snatching his chin. "Your eyes are the color of dried blood," she murmured offhandedly. After a moment, she released his chin and leaned back and drew her legs up once more, wrapping her arms around her knees and dropping her chin onto them.

"It's kind of funny, you know ... I don't remember anything from my life. But when I speak without thinking, and remember without remembering, I say things that I can only imagine are from when I was alive. But they're simple things, and I just think that maybe it's a sign. A sign that people should think less then they do and go on instinct," she said, looking up at the traveling clouds. It was going to rain. And here was she, with no place to go.

"I could always duck under the arch that's jutting out from the front doors," she mumbled offhandedly to herself, her eyes looking past Death's alliance and at the school. "Hm ... Sleep in the school library if I can find it. They undoubtedly have some couches in there." She looked up at the sky once more and closed her eyes. "What's it like here, Sho? For you, I mean," she added on, looking over at him. Her hand twitched slightly as she took in the shadows that fell across his face, the lazy mess of his hair; the odd color of his eyes and the rugged look about him.

I could paint him ...

She jerked out of her reverie, her body actually flinching out of nowhere, and she closed her eyes. I need a nap like no one could ever believe ...

Her stomach growled, and with wide eyes and a blush rising to her cheeks, she dropped her hands to her stomach, letting out a soft laugh. "I suppose that means it's time to go see what I can do about getting some food. I'm pretty sure that the Alliance isn't going to want me coming back, at least not this soon, and after what I said, I'm not budging on my point of view. So," she said, pushing herself up and stretching, her joints crackling slightly, "I suppose I'll go and find out what I can do about some food and a place to sleep tonight." She turned and offered him her hand, both as a parting farewell and to help him up, with a smile on her face. "It was very nice meeting you, Sho Nakamura," she said, her voice soft. She hesitated, and after a moment said, "You should talk more. You have a pleasant voice to listen to. And smile. You can't forget to smile, Nakamura," she said, almost beaming at him.

"O-okay ... I won't go," Was the quiet words that escaped from the girls wish. Only Tatsuya's subconscious knew why he didn't want to let the girl go. He even lowered his head without thinking, meeting her eyes with his an remembering the reminiscent feelings of meeting such round brown eyes. Lost in his own thoughts he was easily brought back to reality as Reika said, "Tatsuya-senpai, you can let go now," as she gently pushed away an Tatsuya made a 180 so no one could see his flushed face.

"Ahem... Yeah well, I think you guys should go. We won't be long." he said in a deeper tone than normal. "Fine, I'll go back inside. But I'm going to have a serious discussion with where I'm placed in the Alliance at our next meeting," She snapped back at them taking the two young ones with her as she walked away. Colette followed. 'I wonder what she means by that?' Tatsuya thought, automatically getting interrupted by Kei. This of course was expected when being around that guy. It sounded as if he fell inside of a tree on his intercom. "Hey Kei, you alright. Be more careful." Tatsuya said shaking his head, looking back to see if he could see him anywhere.

Turning back he saw that so far, Angel and Westley weren't doing anything that could get the girl hurt, which put his mind to rest about the whole thing. "What do you think their talking about?" He asked Akira. It seemed weird. In the past when he talked to Angel, the man had very little words to shed. He thought about the past often and how things can change. He even thought about his own past. He remembered it clearly. Well, everything except one important thing. Why couldn't he remember the one thing that mattered. The one thing he absolutely had to remember. It was such a small piece, but too important to go missing. A blank face. It even showed up in his dreams that way. It was irritating if nothing else. It was gods fault right? After all no one created this world but him right? Yeah. Exactly. 'If this girl sides with Angel then she's automatically an obstacle and obstacles were created for people to run through them.' That's what he thought. That's what he believed, but, seeing her stand up and try to walk away from Angel, he was even more confused.

"Akira, we're done for the night. Don't even bother asking about the girl. If she wants to join us that is her choice. The same with joining Angel." He said as he started walking towards the building. It was then that he had a good plan in mind. "Kei, you wanna play the hunting game? Follow that girl for me would you. Make sure nothing crazy comes of her." He almost laughed at the irony of what he said. "Nobuo, shows over. Come downstairs for debriefing."

He entered the abandoned dorm on the school campus where they set up base and looked over all of the members currently inside with a tired expression and sat down on his chair. "Jacob, when Nobuo get's down here can you debrief us. I'll give my peice after yours. Thanks." He said rubbing the bridge of his nose. 'If it ain't one thing, it's another.' That was the only thought he had about the whole thing.

A damn headache.

Colette walked slowly with her younger subordinates ahead of her, rubbing her temples rhythmically as she placed one foot continuously ahead of the other. Headaches weren't an uncommon occurrence, but she had never really gotten used to the beating pulse of the blood in her head that came with them. It was annoying and more than a bit discomforting.

She'd live; there wasn't any other option. It wasn't like dying would do her any good, or that she was willing to disappear.

Immediate to the building, she turned, looking back at Angel silently. She clenched her fist, her fingernails driving into her palm like pins into a cushion as she glared. Whatever it took, she wouldn't let this go. Whatever it took, she wouldn't let him have allies. She'd convince the girl.

Whatever it took.

The abandoned dorm was quiet, the normal chatter of the Alliance stifled by the melancholy of a canceled operation. Everyone here wanted answers, and it made her a little angry to miss yet another opportunity to chance. She sat against the wall, sliding to the floor with a little effort. She was disoriented, her headache getting worse, the adrenaline from the operation giving way to it's aftereffects like always.

"Goddamn it."

She hated debriefing. Rarely was it the result of success, but rather the failure that they often met in 'Angel' operations, and as such was a disappointment. It was hard to equate the enormity of their failures to anything productive anymore, never mind the circumstances.

Of course, she couldn't let that show in her face. She was responsible for keeping everyone confident and for looking after them. Besides Angel and Tatsuya, she had been here the longest, so she had to keep her chin up--even if she felt it was fruitless. She got to her feet once more and surveyed the room, a contrived grin on her face. She cracked her knuckles.

"Listen up!" she started, surveying the room with a sweep of her eyes "I know this sucks, but we have to keeping pressing on. We will have our chance, but we can't jeopardize it with these strange circumstances at hand." She put her hands on her hips cheerfully, lighting up her eyes with a fervor that only came from an acclamation to responsibility. "Any sulking will result in a helping of Mapo Tofu, as sulking causes belly aches and I don't want to see any of my cute little subordinates go hungry! So cheer up and shape up!"

She laughed to herself, her headache still rampant. It hurt, but that was the cost of her position. She knew that better than anyone. She only hoped the pain didn't show in her face.

"We're going to win this, so keep on fighting!"

She knew she would.

"Commander, let's start this, alright?"