Red Strings ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

Nineteenth String

A/N: I asked this on my wall but maybe you guys didn't see. If I were to write an original fic, would you guys like to read it?

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To show their appreciation and gratitude, the Smile Foundation and the hospital director decided to throw Kurenai a party for the hard work she put into the fundraiser. As part of her team, Chishiya was given half a day off to attend as well.

He was never a fan of these events, and he had been invited to several before. He turned each and every one of them down. They were blatantly obvious boot-licking parties thrown for the benefactors, and Chishiya was not about to put himself in a position where he would be fake smiling and acting gracious for the sake of one person. Not this time, however, as he showed up to the pool side party with a suit and tie.

Kurenai had yet to arrive, but the party was already in full swing. It was just a little past afternoon, but many guests were already drinking and some were tipsy.

"Hi, Chishiya-kun. You look great in a suit and tie."

Without Kurenai around, Honoka was bolder than usual. He was enjoying his period of peace without her pestering too.

"Thanks."

"Shuntarou~"

As if on cue, Kurenai appeared behind him and hooked her arm onto his. She was wearing a short, off-shoulder pink dress with heels to match. Her hair was done up in a bun, showing off the necklace and earring set she had on. An effortless look, but so eye-catching.

"You look great," Chishiya smiled.

How irritating to see him complimenting her when he did not Honoka. He could have replied politely that she looked good too, but not a peep. Forcing a smile, Honoka excused herself and headed straight for the refreshment table to grab herself a glass of champagne.

"So do you," Kurenai said, adjusting his tie though her efforts were for nothing when she hooked her finger around the top of the knot, pulling Chishiya down to her height. "You'd look much better when I take this off you," she whispered.

"Everybody!" They were interrupted by the director and his mic. "Hello, and welcome. As you all know, we had a very successful fundraiser for the Smile Foundation a few days ago. This was made possible by Miss Chuya who put in so much effort into planning and organising the event for us. Miss Chuya, if you would like to say a few words?"

He handed the mic over to Kurenai, who took it and faced the crowd, keeping her eyes on Chishiya the whole time.

"First of all, thank you for throwing this party, it is much appreciated. Secondly, I want to thank all the staff who worked with me too. This was possible because of their contributions, I could not have done this alone. Last but not least, just enjoy yourself today. Thanks again."

Once they were dismissed and told to enjoy themselves, it seemed like the guests were less focused on Kurenai and more focused on the fact that there was free alcohol for them to indulge in. Not that Kurenai cared, to be honest. She only had eyes for one person, and only cared that he was here for her.

"Chishiya! Hey, come and play this game with us," one of the other medical students called out, waving to Chishiya. "Miss Chuya too, if you would like to join us."

While Chishiya was a little skeptical, Kurenai was intrigued, already making her way over to the group. Usually when she attended parties like this, it was full of people much older than she was. And all they liked to talk about was business or the Chuya Group, both of which Kurenai had no particular interest in. This was her first time mingling with people her age.

"What's the game?"

"It's a game made popular by the internet recently," they explained. "A game of fate, they call it. It's very simple. There's two decks of playing cards and one person picks from one deck, and the other person picks from the other. If you pick the same card, apparently you're fated to be together."

"Sounds like fun," Kurenai smiled.

Such a simple game with such a stupid concept behind it. Yet, she was eager to play. It was apparently a popular game at speed dating events; quick and simple to pair off couples.

With two decks of playing cards on the table, the women picked from one and the men picked from the other. They showed their cards off one by one, and if someone were to have the same card, they had to show it too. Kurenai was the last to go, and so far, no one had matched.

"Nine of hearts," she said, showing her card to the rest.

"Nine of hearts," Chishiya said, showing his too.

Instantly, the small group of youngsters got excited. This was their first match of the group, and it had to be the two that were oozing sexual tension every time they made eye contact with each other.

"Okay, okay, let's do one more round. If you guys match again, you might as well just get married."

They returned their cards to the respective decks and they were each shuffled thoroughly before the players started picking their cards again. Once again, they showed their cards one by one and Kurenai was the last to go.

"King of diamonds."

"King of diamonds."

Once again, Chishiya matched with her.

"This is giving me the creeps man," one of the guys said. "Okay, you know what? Let's do it with just the two of them." He leaned forward, sifting through the cards and pulled out four random cards, laying them out on the table for everyone to see. "Alright you two, pick a card at the same time."

Without hesitation, they pointed to the Queen of Hearts at the same time.

"Miss Chuya, sorry to interrupt, but the founder of Smile Foundation would like to have a chat with you."

"Dude!" As soon as Kurenai left, the group was quick to get on Chishiya. "This is so crazy! You guys picked the same cards three times in a row. If this doesn't mean you're meant to be, I don't know what else it could be."

Chishiya was not a believer of fate, as he said before. Fate was simply a concept made up by humanity so they could feel better. If something were to go wrong in life, it was because it was supposed to be that way and they could stop blaming themselves. If they could not find a partner, it was because the fated one was still out there and they had yet to meet.

Though, when coincidences after coincidences would happen, Chishiya was starting to question whether or not fate was real, and if he and Kurenai were fated to be.

"Oh my God!"

The group was soon distracted, however, by a loud splash and someone shouting. They looked over to the pool and Chishiya saw the founder of the charity and the director both looking into the pool, horrified. Kurenai was nowhere to be seen. She was taken away by the director to meet the founder, yet there they stood without her. Could it be?

"Someone help! Miss Chuya fell in!"

Instinct kicked in, and Chishiya took his suit jacket off, jumping into the pool without hesitation. The water stung his eyes but he kept them open, seeing Kurenai in the far end. She was struggling, slowly sinking to the bottom.

She was still struggling when he finally got to her and when Chishiya grabbed her by the arm, he nearly lost her when she managed to wiggle out of his grip. With a firmer grip on her arm, he dragged her up to the surface so she could breathe, then with his arm around her, he was swimming back to the edge where some of the guests helped to get her out.

Kurenai was a mess. Her dress was soaked and her hair was undone. Her makeup was running too, but most importantly, she was shaken and crying.

Pulling himself out, Chishiya checked over her to make sure she was not hurt anywhere. Then when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, he wiped them away and enveloped her in his arms. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm here now."