Dead Set: Rebirth

Chapter 5

The next day was clear. The rain stopped early in the morning. Erina and Reina were in the town while Jonathan was busy with his boxing matches. Erina was shopping for a new basket to collect fruit. Reina did not want Dio nor his lackeys to bother her friend. "Hey Rei, how come you get into fights easily?" Erina questions as the two girls enter a produce shop. "Well...you see, I dislike any wrong doing so my gut tells me that I have to do something." Reina explains.

"That makes you rough around the edges." Erina giggles at her words. Reina snorts and looks away. Erina walks around the shop. She looks at the different baskets to choose from. Reina looks around to see what else the shop had to offer. "I wanted to go swim at the river soon. With you and Jonathan there too. We should swim together." Erina said. She picks up a basket to get a batter look at it.

Reina had a solemn look on her face as she did not want to be the third person. Dio's words last night bothered her. She did not want to get in the way between the two love birds. While Reina did have feelings for Jonathan she could not act on them. Her feelings were becoming mutual. "I'll pass." Reina said. "But Rei..." Erina wanted the boy to be there. Reina shakes her head in refusal.

"I know my mother not being in the shop leaves my father working more. I don't want to leave him." Reina explains. "Your mother is the only seamstress in the household, isn't she?" Erina asks. She puts the basket down then picks up another one off the table. "Yes. My mother is a hard worker. I learned from her and father." Reina said. "What do you think? This one or a different one?" Erina asks for her friend's opinion.

"That is a nice one. It looks bigger too." Reina said as Erina looks at the basket. She took her time in thinking of which basket would be more useful. "I'll go with the one you suggested, it is bigger." Erina said. She made up her mind. Reina looks around to find an employee or at least the owner of the shop. An elderly man approaches the girls. He questions Reina about the basket and Reina responds.

Instead of having the old man climb up the short ladder in order to grab the basket, Reina decides to do it herself. She climbs up the ladder and grabs the basket off the shelf. Erina gave the elderly man money in exchange for the basket. "You're lucky to have this boy help you." The elderly man said. "I'm not that great sir." Reina said as she climbs down the ladder. Erina giggles and nods, "Rei will always be lucky."

Dio was studying in the library of the mansion. He sat in a chair alone at a table. The boy read a book in silence. "I kissed her. Her lips were soft." Dio spoke in a low tone. He was glad that he was able to touch his prey. Seducing the girl was not going to be as difficult as he thought, but Reina still resists him. She kept herself away from him. "Her feelings for Jonathan won't fade so easily." Dio said as he turns a page. The boy did not have honest feelings for the girl, but he enjoyed the challenge. The one big issue was Jonathan. He was too close to Reina.

Erina and Reina walks out of the shop and head to the hat store. "Heh, it's that boy who took out that drunken man the other day." One obese boy snorts as he along with his two friends grin. They gossip over the incident that Reina was involved in a while ago. "Little Rei can handle a man without Jojo's help. Ha!" The second boy teased. Reina ignores the boys and continues to walk away. Erina follows Reina from behind. The two girls do their best to ignore the teasing.

"Hey Erina!" Jonathan calls out to the girl. Erina turns around and spots the Joestar boy. Jonathan crosses the street and catches up to them. Reina smiles a bit and Jonathan was more happy to see Reina with her too. "Jojo. What are you doing here?" Erina questions. "I came to town to find an early birthday gift." Jonathan said. Reina scoffs and turns away. Her birthday was in a few days. In honesty, Reina did not celebrate her birthday.

"You know I dislike receiving gifts. My birthday is nothing special. Let's just leave it as a normal day." Reina says. "Rei, your birthday is important. We'll celebrate it together." Erina spoke. "I-It's fine. My parents are too busy with work to notice my birthday. Work always come first." Reina says before she skips away. Jonathan and Erina follows Reina into the hat shop. Reina looks around to find a new hat to purchase.

"Oh, I forgot to ask. How did you sleep last night, Rei?" Jonathan asks. Reina almost stumbles in a display shelf and coughs. The bath, the kiss, and the mixed signals coming from Dio. Her first kiss coming from the boy who kicked a dog and did not want her help. Reina's face went pale at the recap of events.

"I slept w-well. Thank you for having me over." Reina answers. There was some hesitation in her voice. The image of Dio confused her. He was never polite. The boy is a pompous jackass. "Found the hat I was looking for." Reina grins in approval and points the beret on the second shelf. It was made out of a dark brown leather. Her day was a good one for now.

The day came as it was Reina's birthday. Between that day she was with Erina and Jonathan and today had hectic events. Jonathan and Dio fought in a boxing match. In the end, Dio won. All the other boys saw Jonathan as a liar and one who could not keep secrets. Today was busy in the shop where the girl's birthday was never mentioned. Not that it bothered her.

The one thing that bothered her the most was Dio kissing Erina and slapping her. He stole the girl's first kiss as well. He even acts as if the kiss did not mean anything to him. Reina could only visit the Joestar estate if Jonathan was around. Dio did not see Reina there anymore. The second the girl took a step inside the mansion, she had seen Jonathan and Dio fighting for real. Reina could only stand in silence.

"I will never forgive you! For Erina's honor and Reina's honor! I won't let you harm them ever again!" Jonathan shouts as he punches Dio in the face. The Joestar boy was able to wail on Dio rendering him to cry. "I..." Reina tries to speak as she sees Dio laying on the floor. He struggles to stand up as he had tears running down his cheecks. The boy appears to be pitiful.

"You damn cur! How dare you strike me!" Dio says as he was able to stand. "You two..." Reina tries to speak once again. Dio pulls out a knife from behind his back. Before the boys could continue, Jonathan's father came out of his bedroom and saw the stone mask on the floor along with the boys battered from fighting.

"Jonathan! Dio! What do you two think you are doing?! And lady Reina has to witness this?! Both of you go to your room!" George shouted in anger and disappointment. Dio and Jonathan turn to Reina who was not in her cheerful mood. She was in shock. "Happy birthday to me indeed. Happy, stupid, stupid, fucking birthday!" Reina said as her hands balled up into fists.

"Jojo...thank you. I'm glad that you defended me. No one ever does so. I-I'm glad that you don't see me as..." Reina quietly speaks and her body violently shakes. She was happy that Jonathan was a true friend and yet she could not trust Dio completely. The girl could only faint with her body collapsing on the floor. Even the blood on the stone mask was something Reina did not understand either. Her world went black for a few days.