The Human Heart [COMPLETED]

Shut The Box

The Queen of Diamond's game venue comes in sight in form of a casino, blinking with annoyingly colorful lights and signs pointing to its entrance. Not too long ago, twelve chimes on a huge clock tower they passed have announced that high noon finally arrived together with the start of the games.

In the distance, a single shot echoes through the empty streets. It is not the first shot they have heard, and Chishiya assumes whoever is shooting acts as a part of a Spades game, since the sounds have begun exactly after the clock announcement. At least the Game Masters are not wasting any time with this, and a handful of players might be dead already. While he doesn't care for them, Chishiya still wonders how exactly the game is set up.

For now he has to focus on his own game, though, and a handful of people have gathered in front already. They seem to be waiting although the entrance has been opened, which leads to the conclusion that the game has a fix number of players.

"An!"

Chishiya wouldn't have cared much about the people, but his stubborn suddenly shouts out and runs past him towards the casino, throwing herself into the arms of a figure that turns out to be the anthropologist from the Beach. Not only that, but a skilled Diamonds player as well. It is more than fitting to see her in front of a game like this.

As he walks closer to the women, his eyes catch sight of a special sign attached over the entrance. It simply says "SHUT THE BOX", a game Chishiya knows to be a quick and easy game preferred for pubs and long nights containing lots of alcohol. How such a child's game can be turned into a challenge worthy of a queen has still to be proven to him.

"...the King of Spades. His blimp moves all over Tokyo, and he seems to hunt down all players with a sniper. He... killed at least five of us within a minute."

With no need to hear the full conversation, Chishiya huffs in satisfaction. "I knew it was Spades", he comments while four pairs of eyes glare towards him. He couldn't be more unfazed about the players already dead, although he might have to reconsider some of his thoughts earlier today. Maybe it hasn't been that stupid at all of his stubborn to leave the camp with him, for she'd have most likely been shot dead the moment it all had begun. Talking about luck being what keeps her alive.

How interesting, though, that the King of Spades is allowed to roam freely around the whole city while every other game appears bound to a certain location.

"What... what about the others?" asks the woman next to him with shaky voice and huge puppy eyes, unwilling to accept the possible death of one of her little friends. Once more, she seems to have been lucky.

"Arisu, Usagi, Kuina and Tatta managed to flee with one car, and we took the other. For the rest... I can't tell."

It would have truly been disappointing if Kuina had just died like that, and Chishiya is not at all surprised to hear that she and Arisu are still alive. Such a shame that the clever boy is not here, though. He'd sure be useful in a game like this, but maybe he's already on his way searching for a Hearts game. Talking about a game, he didn't walk all the way just for a coffee klatch.

"There's lots of time for you to mourn the dead after we deal with the important matters. I have a game to play."

As he heads to the entrance, a pale hand stops him and An's voice has lost all emotion when she talks. "I'm sorry if you planned to play this game together. Someone already got inside the moment we arrived, so it's either you or you."

What a waste of time. There never even was a decision like this, since it should be obvious who is suitable for this game... and who isn't. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm going inside."