Marionette ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

New Arrival - Part One

"You're on your own now, Kurenai...I'm sorry."

It had been a while since she last had a dream about her mother. So much so that Kurenai closed her eyes once again. Whether she thought she was still in a dream, or wanted to go back into that dream was unclear.

She let out a sigh, knowing that whatever she was trying to do was futile.

Opening her eyes again, she was looking straight at the ceiling. When did she get in bed? The last memory she had was yelling at Aguni before feeling something stabbing into her right hip. She frowned a little, trying to move her hand when she realised something was in her hand.

Squeezing a little, it was a familiar feel. She turned her head, seeing Chishiya asleep in a chair, holding her hand in his.

A soft smile spread.

Did he stay with her all night just to make sure she was okay?

Borderland might have been unforgiving in so many ways, but it was the place where she discovered new things. She discovered that at times of chaos, people would still look to one person who could lead them. She discovered that despite the awful world they were currently in, humans could be a lot more awful.

Then there was the discovery she thought she would never make.

Discovering people like Aguni, An, Kuina, and the man holding her hand right now while sleeping in a chair.

Trying to sit up, Kurenai let out a groan when a sharp pain shot through her body from her wound. Twice already, she could have died in a game. How long would she have to keep this up for?

"Don't move."

Woken up by her groan, Chishiya shifted in the chair and leaned forward. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, feeling her temperature. It would not be accurate, but it was the best he could do right now.

No fever.

He then lifted the duvet, checking her bandages. Still securely wrapped around her waist, and there was no blood in sight. Everything seemed well.

"Told you I'd be back before this fades," Kurenai smiled, stroking the bite mark she left on his arm.

"You nearly didn't make it," Chishiya stated. "Aguni could have left you dying."

"He wouldn't."

"And you know because?"

"I just do."

Was she naive? No, that was not Kurenai. Was she unreasonably positive? No, that was not her either. Did she perhaps bump her head and lose all common sense? Then perhaps Chishiya should have her checked for a concussion.

"You saved me again," Kurenai said, her voice so tender and soft. "I guess I owe you my life twice. Maybe next time you're the one who needs saving."

"I won't ever need saving."

"Then...I could repay you another way?"

Someone cleared their throat in the far corner of the room, and Kurenai looked in that direction with a frown. "Yeah, I'm here in the room too, just letting you know," Kuina said, raising her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been stabbed in the hip."

"What happened exactly?" Kuina asked. "Did Aguni really try to kill you?"

Kurenai shook her head.

Perhaps when the game first started, that was his intention. She knew Aguni was not the type to stick with the group to try and solve the game together, but last night, he stuck by her. He had been trying to look for an opportunity, but could not find one that looked natural enough. Her guess: Hatter wanted to get rid of her but in order not to cause a riot within the Beach, they had to make it look like the game bested her.

"The game was escape rooms, and we were the last two people in the last room. The walls were closing in and that's how I got impaled. He risked his life coming back for me. He did try to kill me initially, but maybe he felt guilty."

"Aguni? Feeling guilty?" Kuina scoffed.

Their conversation was interrupted with a knock and Tatta rushed in before he was given permission. Both Kuina and Chishiya stood guard, shielding Kurenai.

"I-I'm just here to tell you that there's an executive meeting."

"Kuina, stay here with Kurenai," Chishiya said, walking toward the door.

"But Kurenai has to go too!" Tatta said, though he was dragged out of the room by Chishiya.

--

Walking into the meeting room, Hatter looked up from his chair and frowned a little when he saw Chishiya alone. Where was the one person he wanted to see?

"Where's Miss Chuya?"

"She's recovering," Chishiya stated, pulling a chair out and sat down. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind her missing one meeting, would you?"

Hatter did not reply.

He simply stared at Chishiya, narrowing his eyes before relaxing his expression and smiled. "Of course not," he said. "How is she doing? I take it that she's recovering well?"

"She's fine for now."

"Fine for tonight?"

Chishiya frowned.

Was he being serious?

Although he figured out that Hatter was trying to get rid of Kurenai, this was getting a little too blatantly obvious. She risked her life, almost lost it, and now he wanted her to get back into a game? What if it was a physical game? That would have meant sure death for Kurenai.

"Unfortunately, I don't think she would be fine for tonight."

"Well that is unfortunate. Perhaps tomorrow then."

"I don't think she would be ready for games for a long time."

"That's a shame because, if you cannot contribute to the Beach, then why would we need her?"

Before Chishiya said anything (and possibly said something he would regret), An stepped in. "Kurenai has contributed enough, don't you think?" she said. She pointed at the wall behind them. "When we started, we barely had any cards. And now we're only a handful away from the full deck."

"An is right." Unexpectedly, Mira spoke up this time. "Miss Kurenai has been working so hard for us, it's a miracle she had not been injured until last night. She has enough days on her visa to be resting for a while, and surely we executive members can clear the games ourselves? Are we so incompetent that we need to rely on one person?"

Mira's words hit hard in everyone's heart.

They had all been relying on Kurenai because Hatter said to. Every time they were partnered with her for the night, they feel relieved because they did not have to try as hard. Someone else would do the job for them.

But then the one who became useless would be them. What if the day came when they had to play games without Kurenai?

Hatter was not happy.

He expected Chishiya to be on Kurenai's side, but now both An and Mira had spoken. They were always the ones who preferred to observe rather than to get involved. Yet here they were, standing up for Kurenai.

"Well, I'm sure we are all competent enough to survive our games, otherwise we wouldn't be here," Hatter smiled. "We will be missing Miss Chuya though."