Marionette ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

Home - Part One

Having evaded the King of Spades, Kurenai was approaching the Queen of Hearts' arena instead. It seemed like she had no choice but to join another game for now, though her mind was on Chishiya the entire time. Was he safe? He had to be, he was Chishiya Shuntarou after all.

As she was nearing the rose garden, Kurenai could see a group of people gathered outside the venue. Was someone already playing the game?

"Is that...Kurenai?" An asked, noticing the woman walking up to them. "Of course you'd still be alive."

"Kurenai?"

Kuina was the first to come up to her, with a rather scary look on her face as if she was mad at Kurenai. They had not seen each other since the witch hunt, since Kurenai left with Chishiya, and Kuina was too disgusted with what they did to Arisu to follow after. Still, Kuina wrapped her arms around Kurenai and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank God..." she mumbled.

"Did you miss me?" Kurenai grinned. "What have you been up to, hm?"

"I cleared the King of Clubs, and the Jack of Spades. You?"

"Jack of Hearts and the King of Hearts. Now I'm here to make a set."

It came as no surprise to Kuina that Kurenai had cleared two out of three Hearts games. If there was anyone in Borderland who could clear all three, it would be Kurenai. Though, this was the Queen of Hearts they were talking about. Supposedly, the hardest game of all.

"So why are we all standing around?"

An pointed to the gates where two signs were hung:

ENTRY LIMIT

- NONE

TIME LIMIT

- NONE

WEAPONS ALLOWED

Just the sign itself was ominous enough.

Even Kurenai was a little hesitant to enter the game. What kind of confidence one would have to permit weapons being brought into their game, with no entry limit too. It was a plain invitation for the players to come in and kill them.

"Attention all players, congratulations on clearing the face card games. With the King of Spades now cleared, there is only one game left. Good luck!"

What timing...

She came all the way here just to avoid the King of Spades, and now his game was cleared too. Was fate playing with her, or telling her something?

About to take that fateful step, Kurenai stopped when everyone else called out the one name she had not heard in a while.

"Arisu!"

Everyone rushed up to the man, hugging and crying as they greeted a long time friend. Kurenai hung back, however. She never really knew Arisu to begin with, and they did not end on good terms. Although she never planned on betraying him, she never did anything to help him until she needed him. When their eyes met, however, Arisu gave her a nod. One which she returned with a small smile.

Once the festivities were over, however, they were focused on the task on hand.

"Since we all made it this far through cooperation, we'd like to avoid having our ugly souls laid bare, and have it end in a killing match," An said, explaining why they had gathered outside instead of participating in the game.

Kurenai understood why they would think so. Everyone wanted to survive, and they wanted everyone else to survive too. And a Hearts game was the only one where they could not guarantee everyone's survival. They could not choose one person to sacrifice and represent them, but at the same time, they could not bring themselves to enter together.

"We need to hurry," a woman, Heiya, said. "If we don't do something, our friend Aguni is going to die."

"He staked his life against the King of Spades for us," the man with her, Doudou, added.

"We're in the same situation," Usagi commented. "Chishiya and Niragi are at death's doorstep. If we don't get them treated in the real world, they're both going to die."

Chishiya?!

Her eyes widened as she looked at Usagi. Did she just say Chishiya? Her Chishiya?

She rushed up to Usagi, grabbing her hoodie. Her eyes were already filled with tears and she was trying her best to keep her emotions in check. Usagi had to be lying, she had to be!

"Did you say Chishiya?" she asked. "As in...Chishiya Shuntarou?"

"He was shot in the torso. There's some organ damage, and we couldn't stop the blee-"

"Where is he?" A little shocked at Kurenai's reaction, Usagi became dumbfounded. "Where is he?!" As soon as Usagi told her the location, Kurenai let go of her and was about to run off when Kuina stopped her.

"What about the game?" she asked. "You're the expert on Hearts."

Kurenai was torn. She wanted to clear the game just as everyone else did, but neither her mind nor her heart was on the game right now. She only wanted to see Chishiya. "I'm not the only one," she muttered. "Arisu...can you do it?"

"I'll try my best."

"Don't try, do. I trust you."

"Go."

Leaving everyone else behind, Kurenai ran without looking back. Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, and her vision was blurred from how much tears there were. She tripped several times, falling and scraping her knees and palms though she got up each time, determined.

Out of breath, Kurenai finally arrived where Arisu left both Chishiya and Niragi. She could see them lying on the ground, but she could not tell if they were still alive. Neither of them moved, nor did they talk.

It felt as if someone had stabbed her right in the heart.

She finally found him, the one person she thought she could love, and the universe was taking him away. Was it fun for whatever deity there was to watch her suffer?

Walking up to Chishiya, Kurenai sat down next to him and held his hand, pressing her ear against his chest. His heart was still beating. It was weak, but it was still beating.

He was alive.

"Hey..."

"Hey," she whispered, looking up. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, forcing a smile. "We meet again."

"Yeah...sorry I couldn't keep my promise."

"Don't say that," she cried. "Please don't say that...you promised you will stay alive. Don't be another liar."