Marionette ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

Jack of Hearts - Part Four

"H-how...how is it possible that you are still alive?"

Coming out from the cell was the man Banda had partnered up with from the beginning. He stared at the three still alive, shocked beyond words. His plan should have worked. He hypnotised the other woman, making sure she gave the wrong mark to Oki. He even lied to Banda himself. Kurenai was supposed to be the sole survivor, and it would be game over for her too.

"Well, it's simple. The objective of this game isn't to find who the Jack of Hearts is. It's to find someone you trust until the end."

"And you're saying you trust Banda? All this time, you two were colluding behind the scenes?"

"On what basis do you have to trust each other?" Enji frowned. "There is no possible way for you to confirm whether or not you were the Jack!"

"That's true," Oki nodded. "But let me tell you something, trust is not built on manipulation, nor fear, not whatever everyone else was trying to do. Trust is built on equality. And we are equal simply because we share the same ideal. The ideal that is...Borderland."

"Even you?"

Enji looked at Kurenai. Although he did not understand this 'ideal' that brought Oki and Banda together, he was even more confused about Kurenai's cooperation with the two men. She had nothing in common with them. She spoke to Banda twice, but they did not say anything that suggested they were working as a pair.

"I'm not as twisted as they are," Kurenai shrugged. "But I guess I do understand them. A narcissistic sadist, and a hedonistic murderer. I just need to appeal to those sides of theirs. You also didn't take in account that some of us might have known each other from before. Who knew a one night stand would save my life?"

"How did you know that I'm the Jack for sure? One of you could still be the Ja- Wait...if you knew that I'm the Jack, why did you keep me alive?"

Instead of answering, Oki grabbed him by the hair and was about to drag him away when Kurenai stopped him. She walked up to Enji, looking him straight in the eyes without so much a blink.

"They know because I told them. And I know because..." She paused. "Next time you want to talk secretly with someone, maybe don't do it in the women's bathroom. Did they not teach you that women go to the bathroom together? Oh wait, there won't be a next time for you."

As he was dragged and thrown into a cell, the fear that all the players had been experiencing was now transferred to him. Who were these people? He lost the game because he was careless? He lost the game because he was not as psychotic as they were? He was the hypnotherapist here, he should be the one gaining the upper hand. He even had his fake eye connected to his collar so he always knew what mark was on his collar. Yet, he lost to three people who understood each other?

"We probably wouldn't get another chance like this, so let's talk about these citizens of Borderland," Oki smirked. "If you don't mind, tell us everything you know about Borderland, and make sure you don't leave anything out."

"As long as I don't destroy his mouth, you don't mind what I do, right?" Banda asked.

"The rules only state that we are not allowed to stop someone from entering a cell, and preventing them from announcing their own mark. Since he's already in a cell, as long as he can still talk, he doesn't really need his eyes or his limbs."

"I'm sad I don't get to kill you, but I still know plenty of ways to make and enjoy most of it," Banda smiled, walking into the cell with Enji, holding several items in his hands like a pair of scissors, and a fork etc.

For the next hour, Enji was tortured. Oki and Kurenai sat outside the solitary cell, listening to the screams of the Jack of Hearts. Kurenai closed her eyes, trying to drown out the screams. While she had no sympathy for Enji, it was still hard to listen to someone being tortured.

"A little too much for you to stomach?" Oki asked.

"I told you, I'm not as twisted as you are," Kurenai sighed.

About six minutes before the hour was up, Banda stopped the torture and walked out of the cell, covered in blood. Just before they closed the door, they told Enji his mark and went into their own cells.

Borderland was an unforgiving place, though it was not the place itself that instilled fear in the players. It was the cruelty of those who were willing to see others suffer, and how they would turn a blind eye. Enji was tortured for the last hour, and as the Jack of Hearts, it was his duty to see the game through.

But he cannot.

The thought of enduring this endlessly was horrifying.

So he said the wrong mark.

CONGRATULATIONS

GAME CLEAR

Walking out of the prison, it was raining. As she took her collar off, there was only one thing on Kurenai's mind. She looked up to the sky, trying to search for the King of Diamonds' blimp. Could it be that Chishiya cleared it? That meant he was waiting for her, and she was late.

"Hey," Oki called out, stopping Kurenai in her tracks. "Who's this guy of yours?"

"Chishiya Shuntarou, why?"

"He must be one hell of a man to keep up with you."

"He is."

--

Running to their previously agreed meeting point, Kurenai had the biggest smile on her face the entire time. They went through ten rounds during the Jack of Hearts game, which meant she had been locked up in there for a little more than half a day, including the time she had to wait for participants to arrive.

Coming up to the location, she slowed her running and started looking around for Chishiya. Did he decide to join another game when she did not show? Did he go looking for her?

"Shuntarou?" she called out, her smile dropping a little. Where was he? "Shunta-"

A few feet away from her, a group was running in every direction and those who lacked behind were shot down.

King of Spades.

They had learned from gathering information and observation that the King of Spades did not have a specific arena. Anyone who was not actively participating in a game was playing his. It was a simple enough game, they just had to run and hide from him before he killed them. Though, it seemed like he was some sort of military with his own arsenal. And somehow, he just knew where every player was.

Her body took over as Kurenai turned in the opposite direction and ran out of there. Where was Chishiya though? Did the King of Spades get him while he was waiting for her? Did he run away too?

Would they meet again?