Surviving The Borderlands

Chapter Seventeen

Arisu and Usagi sat in Rose's room with Kuina, none of them able to sleep after what happened at the pool last night. They were still waiting for Rose to return.

Aguni ordered them to grab her and she fought back, continuing to fight until one of them had hit her roughly in the leg. The pain blinded her for a moment and they were able to take her down.

The three of them turned their gaze to Niragi and Last Boss, both of whom looked ready to kill someone. Aguni demanded they follow him but the three friends could see the struggle of the two militants.

"Go, otherwise they'll kill you – she's strong, she'll get through this" Kuina said to them quietly. Their eyes flicked to her but she shook her head.

"You're no use to her if your dead so go" they eventually followed their leader although Niragi's hand was twitching around his gun.

The party had restarted after the militants left but Arisu, Usagi and Kuina weren't in the mood for it, instead their minds were occupied by what was happening to Rose. They couldn't know for sure but knew it wouldn't be good.

At some stage Chishiya had found them, Kuina told him what happened and he disappeared slamming the door behind him. That was hours ago.

"She should be back by now" Arisu said bouncing in his seat. Usagi tried to calm him down but even she was uneasy.

"I'm going to look for her" he announced, "you two stay here just in case she comes" he said before leaving the room. The girls exchanged a look before watching the crowds through the window again.

Arisu walked the halls unsure of how to even start looking for her. He heard someone shouting and hid behind the wall peaking around the corner – it was Niragi and he as pissed.

"Let me in to see her before I shoot you" he threatened, the guard looked terrified but refused to move.

"Aguni said not to let you in, she's fine Anne's seeing to her now" that comment set Niragi off more, he punched the guard reaching for the door but it was locked. If Anne was tending to her then she was really in a bad way.

"Give me the fucking key!" Niragi yelled but the guard had already pulled out his walkie-talkie and was calling for Aguni. Arisu watched as the militant leader walked over, seemingly not far away when he got the call.

"Pull yourself together Niragi, she's not worth your death is she?" Aguni demanded, Niragi's fury was evident but he didn't speak again. He knew he was on thin ice and couldn't protect her if he was dead – but he couldn't protect her last night anyway. They had put him on patrol on the far side of the building and refused to let him leave. He only got away because they demanded he get some sleep.

On the other side of the door Chishiya leaned over Rose's body cleaning up the cuts that now scattered her skin. Ann was tending to the skin around her face, after Kuina told him what happened he went searching for Rose, it was easy enough to figure out where she was being held.

He arrived as Aguni's men left – boasting about how they'd 'taught that bitch a lesson she wouldn't forget'. He remembered their faces; he would get them back later for harming what was his.

He didn't know when that happened, but he knew that she was his and no-one messes with what's his.

Putting on his signature smirk he told the guard that he was there to make sure the girl was still alive – on Aguni's orders of course. While hesitant they eventually let him in but he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Rose was tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth, her skin was covered in cuts from a blade, some were deep others only just breaking the skin. At the sound of the door opening her head flew up, giving the entrant the most evil glare she could but when she realised who it was relief filled her face.

He ran to her removing the gag and she sighed in relief, her mouth split at the corners from the fabric and deep marks in her cheeks from how tight the material had been. He quickly released her hands from their binds to the chair.

"What the hell did they do?" he said quietly inspecting her body, she flinched as he touched her skin, making him apologise instantly.

"One of them has a knife fetish, I'll gladly get him back for it later, show him what a real knife is" she attempted to laugh but it ended in a coughing fit. Chishiya held her up so she wouldn't collapse onto the floor as Anne entered the room.

There was a surprised horror on the woman's face when she saw Rose. Shaking it off she instructed Chishiya to put her on the bed.

He picked her up bridal style and she snuggled into his chest for the short trip. He was a comfort to her and she needed it now. Feeling like she was in safer hands she slipped into unconsciousness, her body finally giving in to the pain it had endured.

"They really did a number on her" Anne commented quietly, trying not to wake the girl up. By the time she had been brought in Rose was already slumped in the chair and covered in dried blood.

Chishiya convinced her to let him stay because of his medical history – she was annoyed that he hadn't offered this information sooner because she could have used his help, but better now than never. Even so she wouldn't have made him leave, it seems they've become attached.

"She refuses to back down" was all he responded. While she slept they tended to her older wounds as well, eventually when they finished they looked down at the broken girl before them. When they first met it seemed like nothing could touch her, even now he knew – no matter how many scars and cuts and bruises, she wouldn't be broken.

But she also couldn't keep this up, she was human after all.

"I've done all I can do, do what you can to stop them from touching her again – her body can't survive much longer if it keeps going through this abuse" Anne said before leaving the room.

They couldn't hear Niragi shouting anymore so something mut have been done about him. Chishiya was silently glad he was the only one here with her. He knew she was interested in both men and while it did infuriate him – he couldn't seem to get away from her.

He could have had anyone he chose but he only wanted the stubborn woman sleeping before him. She was going to choose him, they would escape this place and defeat these games.

Chishiya sat at her bedside watching her as she slept – brushing her hair from her face.

He wouldn't let this happen again, he needed to get his plan in action. Originally, he had planned to include her but he couldn't do that, not now – the other two though, Arisu and Usagi would work perfectly.

They were getting out of there by any means necessary.