Kei Kovaleski's Story

"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.

"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?"

Nobuo did not know what to make of what was happening. Westley seemed to be getting along fine with Angel, which added to his confusion. Even more confused when he heard the conversation between Tatsuya and Reika, since he never was raised in a civilian setting, he almost lost focus at one point. Of course, as usual, Kwei pulled some stunt, which made Nobuo roll his eyes briefly and refocus on the task at hand. At least, until he heard Tatsuya.

"Nobuo, shows over. Come downstairs for debriefing."

"Yes, sir. I'll be right over."

With his sniper rifle on his back, he carefully climbed down the tree before making his way to the room where the debriefing was to take place. As always, he faced the front of the room at attention, his head never jerking to the left or right. Nobuo kept silent the whole time, listening to every word. He would not speak unless spoken to. Whatever task he were given, he would accept. Though he did not show it, he was absolutely frustrated with how the mission once again ended in failure. It was one of his biggest pet peeves.

Of course, hearing Colette speak left his chest pounding some, yet he never could place a finger on why that was. Why was he only like that around her, if not on the battlefield? Worse yet, none of the NPC medics would tell him, only laugh at the thought. How was it in anyway funny? What if some major medical condition was making this happen? Regardless, Nobuo tried not to focus on that, only listened to what was being said.

"Jacob, when Nobuo get's down here can you debrief us. I'll give my peice after yours. Thanks."

Jacob knew his duty towards what to do, but showed no signs of nodding or saying anything. He was just... well... disappointed, you could say, since he didn't get his objective with getting to Angel. And, apparently, that didn't happen, so he was quite angry. Not with everyone else. Definitely not with them, but with himself.

Why? Well... there wasn't much of a reason. He was always hard on himself, and even if it wasn't his fault, he was still hard on himself. It was just like that, especially after his death.

Before he entered the building, Nobuo not being too far behind, he called out, "Julian, Michiyo, old lady," He referred to Akira, with a small smirk, despite how he disappointed he still felt about himself, "If you three want to get in on the information you missed, you may want to come inside just about now." He said before finally going inside.

Once inside, Jacob pulled up a chair next to his leader, their leader, Tatsuya. He saw the tired look on his face, and kind of understood. Jacob was also in a depressed mood, despite being a kid. He hardly showed it, though, those who knew him could tell by the small sighs he did here and there, and the dull expression he wore the whole time.

After finding everyone in the base room, Jacob coughed a little to get everyone attention before beginning. Now, keep in mind, Jacob is the type of person to make long speeches, especially about their battle with Angel, and other things of that sort. Most times, they'd attempt at beating Angel. Though most times they'd never win, at least they tried. This time, many things happened, and Jacob.... well... he really hated Angel, and do lose a perfect opportunity is just....

"Alright, so, long story short. We all were ready to fight. Some pink-haired girl fell from the sky or something, we talked, she made a friend with Angel, we lost an ally, we're here. Done." He finished, a bit of a harsh tone to it. Without warning or saying anything though, Jacob stood up from his chair, and just left. It was now obvious how frustrated he was as he headed out of the room to get some fresh air, slamming the door behind him just before he said, "Tastuya may amend my speech."



"Hey Kei, you alright. Be more careful."

Kei rolled over from the back of the tree, lifting one foot and planting it on the other side so he was in full sight. A grin was on his face as he giggle childishly, "Aha... so you saw me? Well, I guess it's hard not to! And dont' worry! Calm down now, Tatsuya! No one can die in this world, it'll hardly even hurt!" He laughed, being the insane person he is.

"Kei, you wanna play the hunting game? Follow that girl for me would you. Make sure nothing crazy comes of her."

The blonde haired male looked up at his leader with a surprised face, 'Hmmm... so he's actually asking a favor of me? How rare.' He thought to himself, usually not being assigned what to do since he was such a ditz and usually strayed off task. But this time was a little different, 'Perhaps I'll switch things up a bit, shouldn't I? That'll be fun.'

He nodded and responded with a lazy salute, "Yes sir~ I'll keep an eye on that little girly for you! And honestly, I think you should be concerned about what I'll do when you leave me alone." He laughed, though knew he wouldn't do anything since he felt like changing for that one night, "Well then, I'm off~"

Kei said before hopping back into the shadows, where he'd disappear, once again, like always, heading in the direction of Angel and the pink-haired unknown girl, being unseen.



"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,"

"Well... you shouldn't really trust my interpretation of myself either you know." Sho said, his hand slowly leaving his gun as he put it back into his pocket. The girl didn't seem intimidating, or dangerous, or have any intentions of harming him, so therefore, he had no intentions of doing the same either, "I don't even know when it started, but all of a sudden, we just began to hate each other, then fight, and over time, it just became the usual greeting. If they won't fight me, I won't fight back. If they do, then I will. Those are my rules." He bluntly stated.

"I think that I get bloody noses when I have migraines ... A little blood never hurt anyone,"

Sho continued to stare at her for a while before turning back to looking straight in front of him, propping his elbow on his knee to hold himself up. He then murmured, "Well... Not all the time... But that doesn't mean that it's good to just bleed out of no where..." He said quietly, making sure he wasn't looking. Sho didn't want to admit it, but he had a great fear of blood. It just disgusted and terrified him.

"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,"

The black-haired young man continued to listen to Westley, not looking in her direction, but continuing to listen before then saying, "It happens to all of us. Well.... From what I know. It happens to me, but... more like it's all a dream. I remember it when I sleep, but when I wake up, it's gone. Like it never even happened. I can't even remember anything afterwards. It's... normal, so don't worry."

"What's it like here, Sho? For you, I mean,"

"It's... just... going to class, as an older student. People will stare at me weirdly, things of that sort. But other than that, nothing's really different. Act human during the day, fight in the night. Nothing... that special honestly." He shrugged, explaining how he saw it in his eyes

Suddenly, he heard her stomach growl. He had never heard such an obnoxious sound before, and couldn't help but laugh a little, despite his nearly emotionless look on his face all the time. Of course, he concealed this by looking the other way, and allowed her to speak, though he was still chuckling a little.

"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, I suppose I'll go and find out what I can do about some food and a place to sleep tonight."

Sho looked at her for a moment, then looked at the school building and said, "The infirmary." He stated, "That's where you may want to stay. They have beds there. It's a good place to sleep." He said, knowing this from experience since he'd sometimes stay there when he didn't feel like sleeping on the roof.

"It was very nice meeting you, Sho Nakamura.

He nodded, and added a slight bow of respect, "You too, Westley Turncot." Before she left though, she added something else.

"You should talk more. You have a pleasant voice to listen to. And smile. You can't forget to smile, Nakamura,"

Sho looked at her with a surprised face, slightly red even from the compliment he never heard for months, maybe years depending on how long he stayed in that after death world. After hearing that, he couldn't help but let out a little smile, but stood up and stretched his arms so it'd be hard to see. He also concealed it with his regular dull voice, "Whatever you say. Ah, do you know the way to the infirmary? That school is huge... you'll get lost."

It was when they reached the doors that the first strike hit.

The lightning crashed through the darkened sky, and before she even touched the door, she froze. Jacob and Izumi walked on, but Reika couldn't move. Her legs were locked and her feet almost staked into place, for she couldn't move them even if she wanted to, which she did. It was already sprinkling, and she was lucky that she had made it under the arch that would shield them before it had begun to thunder and lightning.

Another clash of lightning lit up the darkened sky, and was fallen by a loud crash of thunder. Her hands flung up and over her ears, her knees clacking together as her body began to tremble. Another crash sent her to her knees and caused tears to spring to her eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest, deafening to her own ears, and she could barely control her breathing.

Stop it, stop it, stop it ...!

Another boom caused her to cry out a bit. Her hands were clamped over her ears, her knees were bruised and scraped from the drop, and the insides of her cheeks were bleeding slightly from her biting down upon them.

---

"Reika, it's okay honey, hush now ... Mama's going to make it all better ..."

"But I'm scared, Mommy! I'm scared!"

"I know, sweetheart, but I'll make it all better. There's no need to be afraid. Mama's here now, and the doctor's aren't going to come in. They know that you're afraid of the storm, so they're letting me help you."

"Mommy, please don't leave me!"

"I won't, Reika. I won't."

---

Get out of my head!

Her fingers curled over the tops of her ears as the thought echoed through her mind. Despite the protection of the arch above her, she was still somehow getting wet. The rain was blowing in through the sides, and she could barely feel the chill as it sank through her school jacket and pants and into her very bones. All she could feel was the immense fear coursing through her as another clash slammed through the sky, seeming to tear it apart, for that one was so great.

You have to get up ... Get up! Stop acting so childish and get up! You can't be afraid of storms anymore!

She didn't budge.

Get up, Reika! Move it!

Her legs trembled a bit.

I said ... Get moving!

After the inner battle, she managed to push herself up so that she was standing on shaking legs. Tears trickled down her face and her hands remained over her ears, but her eyes were cast in shadows. A glint shone off of one tear, and after a moment, she managed a step towards the school dormitories. She was only a few feet from the doors, but nevertheless, it felt as if she were miles away from the comfort of the indoors. It wasn't as if being inside would dull her fear, but at least she would be out of the brunt of the storm.

With that thought in mind, she flung open the door. Of course, everyone was already inside. Just her luck.

I can't afford to let them see me like this ... I'm Reika Setsuko, the stone-girl. I can't let them know that I'm afraid!

Her head bowed even lower, the shadows cast over nearly all of her face, and she moved into the room.

"I'm going to bed," she murmured, her attempt to mask the hoarse undertone of it, caused by both fear and tears. As soon as those words were out, another loud boom of thunder echoed, this one so powerful it actually caused some of the lamps to rock where they sat. This sent her into a mad dash for the stairs, which she took two at a time.

Everything after that passed in a blur. One moment she was running for the stairs, and the next, she was slamming the door to her room loudly behind her. A momentary fear that she had cracked the wood fluttered through her mind, before it was replaced by the fear from the storm, which rose up and crashed around her. Something close to a whimper escaped her lips. She dropped where she stood, which was just on the other side of the door, tore a blanket from her bed, and wrapped it around her soaking-wet body. She would get through this, of course, but at what cost to her sanity? Hopefully the debriefing would go on for a bit longer, at least until the storm passed, so that her pathetic whimpers wouldn't be heard, even through the door. Inside, she moved over and away from it so that she sat beside her bed, her back against the side of it, and hid in the blanket. Each crack of lightning and thunder caused her to cry out softly and huddle further into her blanket, but in a fetal attempt to muffle the sound, she shoved the corner of her blanket between her lips.

Dammit! Why can't I just be normal? Why does this have to happen to me?

---

---

"It's... just... going to class, as an older student. People will stare at me weirdly, things of that sort. But other than that, nothing's really different. Act human during the day, fight in the night. Nothing... that special honestly."

Westley only looked at him for a moment, her eyes searching his, and finally, she spoke.

"That's really sad. It's just ... Sad. Living that way, I mean. Or, well, not living that way. You know what I mean," she said with a sigh, straightening and running a hand through her hair in frustration. What was with this guy? He didn't seem to care what someone said to him, and with her acting as weird as she was, she was surprised that he hadn't kicked her ass yet. She would've, if she were him.

"Tell you what ... I'm going to make 'life' here more interesting for you from now on. And that's a promise," she said, with a slightly vindictive smile on her face. Her eyes took on a bit of a psychotic glint to them, and she smiled at him, her entire face that of a frightening promise.

After a moment, the look faded, and she slumped over at the waist, her arms hanging down in a way that slightly resembled an ape when it walked around.

"No, I have no idea where the infirmary is. Thank you for the advice, though. I'm sure I'll find it eventually. Do you know where I could get some food, though? I really am hungry," she said, straightening to rub at her stomach as it growled once again.

It was then that it began to completely downpour. Westley was almost immediately soaked. It was as if someone had flipped a switch to 'On' for rain, it was that instantaneous.

She took on a slightly masochistic aura in that moment. Getting drenched by rain was obviously the last straw for her. First she finds out she's dead. Then she realizes she doesn't know anything about herself. Next she gets a migraine that's almost crippling, followed by a very-insulting speech by a boy she'd never met before, which caused a heated argument with several of those dumbasses, and now, on top of all that, she was hungry, tired, and completely soaked by rain?

It was enough to drive a person to madness.

With an angry look on her face, she whirled away. "God fucking dammit!" she shouted, her fist flying out and striking the trunk of a tree. It was a hard enough punch that several pieces of the bark chipped away and so that it caused her knuckles to crack and draw blood. She switched hands and punched it once more, drawing blood from those knuckles, before switching hands again. By the time she was exhausted enough to stop, her hands were bloody messes, her shoulders were heaving with breaths, and she was left with tears in her eyes, which she rubbed at furiously with the sleeve of her school uniform - which, to point out, she had no idea she had been wearing. And what was with the skimpy skirt? It barely even covered her ass!

With a shout of anger, her leg shot out, striking the tree hard enough that there was a small cracking sound, and a line formed across the trunk where she had struck it, having successfully split the trunk.

She dropped her arms, and with a small sigh of defeat, shook her head. "See you, Nakamura," she muttered. She began a slow walk to the school, swaying slightly with each step, and halfway there, she stopped.

"Whoever you are that's following me, I don't really give a damn, but that leering is really starting to piss me off. I'll know if you're staring at my ass or my tits, so don't you even try to look there, got it? Follow me all you want, you stalking asshole, but don't stare at the goods, or you'll get the ass-kicking of your life!"

Out of nowhere, dizziness assaulted her. Dark spots dotted her vision, almost blindingly so. "What ... The Hell ..." With a small sway, she collapsed to the wet grass, the rain mixing with the blood on her hands and sliding across her unconscious face.

Tatsuya was about to say his spull when Reika ran up the stairs. He knew her fear of thunder and actually kinda wanted to comfort her. As leader though, he had to save face. 'It's just because she's a girl right? Yeah that's right. There's nothing else to it.' He convinced himself. "Ahem." He began by clearing his throat. "First off," He looked at Nobuo. "Nobuo, could you please stop standing at attention. Just sit down man." He let out a sigh at his overly motivated teammate.
"Anyway, I'm disappointing by the way things turned out. I bet all of you are. I was going to say some things about your performances in general, but, because of the circumstances, I can't really blame you. It's not everyday we find a lost soul after all. However, next time, lost soul or not, only come to back me up if you were with me in the beginning or I call for you. Angel has his ghosting ability and we have to have men on all sides to corner him off. Also Jacob. I want you to include different positions for each member. Nobuo, you will make and assign booby traps just in case Angel tries to escape. Until the plan and the traps are done, we will be training and doing little missions so we can eat food." He sat back in his chair and scratched his head a little bit.
"It also seems like some members of this team of ours don't think they have a place here. I know some of the senior members may be a bit harsh." He said looking at Akira. "But nonetheless, everyone on this team has an important effect on mission accomplishment. Even Kei. Well..... Maybe not Kei, but you know what I mean. Last thing I want to hit. That pink haired girl may decide to join Angels side. I don't care if you want to be friends with her, but don't take it personally if one of us has to kill her. Well, knock her out I guess. You guys are dead okay. I know it still hurts like crap to have to get shot or stabbed but ditch your fear. Remember, if we catch Angel, we may find a way to exploit his power for our own use. If we do that, then getting revenge on the god that doomed us to this school life and took us away from our real lives will be the next step. For training in armed weapons, Nobuo is in charge. For training in handheld melee weapons, Akira's in charge. I'll handle the hand to hand combat training."

He arose from his chair. "Alright guys. Good work today. I know you all tried your best. Colette, good team spirit. Akira........Good jumping off of rooftops. Jacob, good hustle. Everyone else, good job keeping your post. Izumi, don't think your no help on the combat field. Stay motivated. Nobuo good job being a model soldier. Julian, good job coming to the meeting. Murakami...." He stopped to see she was knitting something. It looked really girly. "Uh.... Keep on doing whatever your doing and I have no doubt you'll succeed." He said with a smile.

He then started heading for the stairs to go to bed. "Debriefings over. Try to get some sleep guys. As for the girls, which one of you lovely ladies will be joining me tonight? I hear snuggling up to a man is nice during stormy nights. Hehe."Tatsuya said with a wink. He tried to give the most innocent smile he could on that last sentence.

(So I need to sleep, and i wanna get this post in, so I'ma make jacob really short =w=)

Jacob finally decided that he needed some sleep, and seeing how Tatsuya was occupied and what such. He decided that it was about time he had some sleep. It was a long day after all anyways.

He didn't really care where he slept, but since Angel was still outside, he didn't want to be outside. So therefore, he entered the building again, and headed for the library. They had chairs there. Were they comfortable? Sometimes. For sleeping? No, but Jacob could pretty much sleep anywhere actually.

He thought about reading, but shook his head and decided not to, "Later." He told himself, since he kind of liked reading from time to time. Instead, he grabbed one he was thinking of reading when he woke up, and put it over his face as he sat, kind of in an awkward position, and began to slept.

If he was tired, Jacob could easily sleep. And since he was very tired, he fell asleep immediately, being sure to wake up for the next day, whether it be late or early.




That's really sad. It's just ... Sad. Living that way, I mean. Or, well, not living that way. You know what I mean."

Sho nodded his head, a little slowly since he didn't see what was so sad about it. That, or maybe he forgot that feeling, of being sad, that is, "Not... exactly... Well, maybe. Maybe to other people, or to people similar to you, but to me, it's just life. I can't say it's bad. I'm actually really fine with the way things are now. I'll go with how Death's Alliance approach is." He shrugged.

"Tell you what ... I'm going to make 'life' here more interesting for you from now on. And that's a promise."

For a moment, Sho continued to nod, like he always did until he finally realized what she had said and nearly choked on air from his surprise. At the same time, as he did such, he looked kind of childish, or stupid, in other words, especially the emotion on his face. Even more so when he stood up as quick as he spoke, "E-eh? What? Y-You know that's not much of a good idea... You're going to be hated. And that's not the life someone like you should have you know..." As much as he didn't want her to do so, Sho was a little glad someone said such, but at the result of becoming friends or something, there's always a punishment. Always one when it came to him.

"No, I have no idea where the infirmary is. Thank you for the advice, though. I'm sure I'll find it eventually. Do you know where I could get some food, though? I really am hungry."

Sho finally snapped out of his daze and immediately responded, lowering his tone and speaking more naturally for once, "A-ah... well... for the infirmary, it's on the second floor, room B-1. And you could probably find food... in the cafeteria? I'm unsure if the machines are working since i hardly eat, but I think they may have some in the back of the room where they store it and stuff. First floor, Cafeteria room. First door on your right if you go through that door." He pointed to a certain entrance, seeming to have memorized the whole set up because of how long he stayed there.

All of a sudden, it began to rain, even a little thunder and lightning perhaps. Sho looked up to the sky, blinking every few seconds since the rain got into his eyes, "Raining? That's a surprise..." He murmured, not really caring though."[/color]

Suddenly, he heard Westley shout, God fucking dammit!"

It made him jump a little at the racket she made, but he got used to it after the first time she hit the tree. He calmed down again and was about to ask if she was alright, being slightly concerned actually, but then heard her say her leave, "See you, Nakamura."

Again, Sho was about to say something, as he held out his hand to say something and opened his mouth as well, but then shut it and lowered his hand, saying in the same tone she did, "Yeah... you too..." He grew slightly attached to the girl who had finally talked to him naturally after all the years he'd been just fighting with real people and socializing with the fake people. But what could he do?

Misfortune came to everyone he met, so he decided to not do anything about the situation. Instead, he got up and walked over to the school, staying underneath the roof and watching the rain drop from the ceiling and onto the cold ground.




"Whoever you are that's following me, I don't really give a damn, but that leering is really starting to piss me off. I'll know if you're staring at my ass or my tits, so don't you even try to look there, got it? Follow me all you want, you stalking asshole, but don't stare at the goods, or you'll get the ass-kicking of your life!"

Kei couldn't help but let out a very loud laugh as he came out of the shadows, being completely seeable and gripping his stomach, never really seeing someone so fierce all of a sudden, "Ha...ha... You're really a funny girl! Getting so angry over a little rain and lightning with some thunder! Aha... you're going to have to get used to the weather, dear!"

He said, skipping along side her like he was a best friend or something though he felt a threatening aura coming from her which didn't bother Kei since he was such an insane person to even sense it, "Forgive me for following you though, it's orders. Orders from a certain someone, who I shouldn't give the name out since you'd probably go and murder who's name I'd list." He chuckled.

"You know Death's Alliance, right? Yeah, I'm one of them, I'm surprised they accepted an insane idiot like me really!" He stretched his arms, still keeping up with Westley's pace, "Oh well... Anyways, I'm sent by that group to keep an eye on you so you don't do anything suspicious or weird. So... don't, alright? I'm not one to follow orders. So try not to cause trouble to make my job easier, yeah?"

Kei sounded so casual, even though he could have been punched, which he was already thinking about, yet he didn't exactly care since it was an endless world. Besides, he was already jumping from the second floor and stuff, so what would a punch or kick or two matter to him? Nothing. Exactly. Kei was much too insane for that.

But then, out of no where, the pink haired girl collapsed. Kei stared at her, a bit disappointed they couldn't talk since he always liked a good conversation now and then, but he just shrugged and decided he'd report back to Tatsuya later as he grabbed her, picking her up and moving to the infirmary since he eavesdropped onto their conversation before plopping her onto the bed and just simply walking away, disappearing since he didn't feel like reporting back just yet.

It wasn't long before she awoke. When she did, she was relieved to find that her headache had disappeared, and that she was no longer exhausted. Instead, she was left hungry yet refreshed, and her hands were no longer torn apart. Her nose had stopped bleeding, but her uniform had streaks of blood across it.

With a small sigh, she sat up in the dimly-lit room of the infirmary, the blanket falling and bunching around her waist. She scratched at the back of her head and sighed once more. "Ah, jeez ..." she muttered. She kicked away the blanket and swung her legs over the side, pushed herself up, and stripped out of the school uniform. After searching the infirmary thoroughly, she managed to find a second uniform and slip it on, before making her way into the hall.

It took her some time, but she managed to find the cafeteria, and several snack and drink machines that were in a corner of the large room. Acting on instinct, she removed two bobby-pins from her hair, which she had found in the infirmary and slipped into to hold her bangs back, and dropped down behind the machine. She made quick work of picking the lock to it, and with a soft click, the door to it popped open.

She reached inside and removed several bags of Doritos along with some sort of microwaveable turkey-gravy-and-dumplings soup. After scrounging around the cafeteria again, she managed to find a plastic fork and a microwave, and after cooking the delicious-looking soup, she practically scarfed it down. Combining that with the Doritos and some sort of pop she had stolen out of another machine, she felt quite a lot better.

Figuring it was time that she left before she was caught, Westley ducked out of the cafeteria and outside, where she stood in the cool night air, the lingering dampness of rain enveloping her body.

---

---

Despite the fact that she felt completely and utterly pathetic baring her emotions and fears to the one person that despised her the most, she couldn't help but burrow closer to him, the naked feeling inside of her warming at the touch of someone who at least cared enough to offer her comfort. His arms did little the lull the sounds of the storm, but it did wonders distracting her from it, even if it was only a little.

She felt encompassed by his embrace. Empowered. As if nothing could possibly touch her in the cocoon of his arms. His next words only strengthened those feelings and caused a small flutter in her already-frantically beating heart - which had changed a bit in tempo, from the roar of fear to the flutter of another emotion mixed in.

"It's....It's okay. As long as I'm here nothing will hurt you. Just listen to my heartbeat and nothing else."

Her breath hitched, and for a moment she could only lay there, her tears trickling from her eyes and soaking into his shirt, staining it with their immense quantities. It was several seconds later when she clenched her hands in his shirt before relaxing them bit-by-painstakingly-bit.

And listen to his heartbeat she did.

The soft tha-thump, tha-thump's of it were rhythmic and distracting. They were a bit faster then a normal heartbeat should have been, and some fleeting worry for the health of his heart passed through her mind before she shoved it aside. They were dead. How could he have a medical problem with his heart when he was dead? And yet ... There was no mistaking the slight upbeat of the heart. Despite all of this, however, it was enough to take her mind off of the storm, and before she knew what had happened, she was drifting in his arms, on the verge of sleep and wakefulness, her fists relaxing and flattening on his chest, her palms smoothing across it.

”Hey Reika, you oka-"

Akira's voice. One of the only people in Death's Alliance that she truly admired and looked up to. Her voice barely registered in her mind, but just enough so that she jerked awake and turned a slightly-tearful gaze to one of her only friends in the Afterlife.

"I-I'll be fine," she whispered, her voice a small whimper mixed with exhaustion. A shot of lightning caused her to bury her face back into Tatsuya's chest, her subconscious mind not caring if Akira stared or if she left.

"Cute ... I'm not dealing with this silliness right now. I'll make it up later, Ok?"

Colette's comment made absolutely no sense to her, especially in her frazzled state of mind, but she tucked them into a small pocket in it so as to remember to ask her what she meant by that later.

The storm was calming a bit, and once it was bearable enough for her to move, she realized how truly uncomfortable the floor was, especially in the position that she had been in. It had to be worse for Tatsuya, and with a small grimace - both from guilt, sympathy, and her sincere wish not to have to move - she pushed up so that she knelt beside him, her eyes tinged pink and swollen from tears, and her cheeks wet and splotchy. She looked at her lap and lifted a hand to rub at her arm.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, her voice hoarse from crying. "I didn't mean to ... I mean ... I know you don't like me, but I didn't mean to force you to take pity on me and stay with me through this. So ... I'm sorry ..."

She managed to push herself shakily up to her feet, but due to the large amount of water her body had lost from shedding so many tears, she swayed a bit and was forced to steady herself against the wall. When Tatsuya was up, a lingering crash of thunder caused her to snatch the bottom of his shirt and ball it up into her fingers, her muscles clenching in fear. Instead of releasing him, she held a tight grip on his shirt as she made her way back into her room, practically forcing the poor guy to come along with her, and only relaxed her hand when she dropped onto her bed. Her blanket had somehow ended up back on it - undoubtedly from when she flung it in her haste to get help - and she pushed it aside as she sat. She was staring just past his right thigh, yet wasn't really registering the desk that she saw. If he were to look down at her, only the top of her head and front of her forehead, which was covered with bangs, would be seen.

"Don't leave me alone ... Please? I ... I know you hate me ... But I ... I just ... I don't think I can make it alone again. Please stay with me ... Just for tonight, and then I won't speak to you ever again if you want ..." she asked quietly, almost pleading with him. She felt pathetic, having been lowered to the level of begging, her fear was that intense, and yet she couldn't help it. She didn't want to be alone. Even if she had to be with someone who hated her, she would feel so immensely better.