How Long is Forever [COMPLETED]

Citizens

The laser disappears as quickly as it emerged, leaving you with nothing but fear. An said that they had cleared the game, so it is the Queen of Diamonds that has died for sure. But An also stated that the Queen should be long dead by now, and who says the enemies from the second stage are killed through a laser as well?

Maybe... Chishiya has been killed because he tried to dig too deep into things he wasn't supposed to know?

NO. Chishiya can't be dead. You won't allow him to.

Breathing normally has never been so hard before. Your knees are shaking heavily, and a certain image won't leave your mind. Chishiya with lifeless eyes, his blonde dyed hair ruined by blood streaks and a burnt hole right through his head...

Footsteps sound once more, and you stare into the dark with quivering lips. The Queen of Diamonds wouldn't just walk out of the casino after being defeated, would she? So it can only be Chishiya, right?

You don't even give him a chance to properly step out into the dim light. As soon as the white hood appears in the hallway, you throw yourself into Chishiya's arms, sobbing helplessly now as you bury your face into the crook of his neck. Chishiya huffs in surprise, taken aback by your sudden reaction, while you clutch your fingers into his back.

"You jackass! How dare you frighten me like that?? I- I was waiting for you! And when you didn't come out, I- I thought, you were dead..."

Only when Chishiya grabs your shoulders and takes a step away so he can look at you, you realize that you have been hitting his back with your first with every word spoken out. He examines you with furrowed brows, that much you can see through the blurry sight of your teary eyes.

"Why would I be?"

"The laser!" you snivel, "An and the others exited the game, but you... you didn't! Then I saw the laser, and you were the last person inside!"

"It killed the Queen of Diamonds." Chishiya's voice is more quiet than usual, and you wipe your eyes so you can actually see his face, realizing just now that you have been shouting at him. He looks tired somehow, in a way you have never seen him before.

"How was I supposed to know!? You were still inside. I... was worried about you."

You already feel sorry for yelling at him, and you pull your arms around him once more. This time without punching him though, as you're just relieved that he is alive and unharmed.

Chishiya slowly breathes out, and you feel his arms embracing your back as he places his head on top of your shoulder. "I'm sorry."

For a moment you forget to breathe, questioning if you really heard right. Never before has Chishiya apologized for anything, and you never thought he would do it at all. You place a gentle kiss onto the soft skin of his neck just as he is about to remove his head again and then step out into the open. Nothing of interest is left for you inside the casino, and it's about to get dark soon. So you better get over the shock and return to something useful.

"I'm just glad you're okay", you admit, "so what about we go and finally search for a place to sp-"

Chishiya interrupts you by pulling you back into the dark, his hands clenched around your waist so tight it even hurts. The sudden movement squeezes all air out of your lungs, but before you can even try to say something, a deafening noise fills the air. It sounds like a massive explosion and is quickly followed by smoke filling the air as well as chunks of debris colliding with the ground just outside the entrance door.

The smoke causes you to cough heavily, and it doesn't spare Chishiya as well. With tears in your eyes and burning lungs you manage to stumble out eventually as soon as the turmoil stops, and you look around with disbelief while your ears still hurt from the noise. Parts of the blimp are scattered everywhere, and the face card banner is slowly floating to the ground, burning at multiple spots.