Chasing Shadows: An Alice In Borderlands Fanfic (Completed)

Chapter 17: Karube

The sounds of the city surrounded us as soon as we stepped out on the other side of the portal. Familiar sounds. Soothing sounds.

We were in an alley. The smell of bread mingled with the scents of Tokyo. Behind us, the portal pulsed, pink and purple.

I realized Niragi had taken his rifle. "I would leave that here," I said.

He gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh yeah. Guess I won't need it, eh?" Then he got this funny look on his face as he stared at me.

"What? What is it?"

"The burn on your face. It doesn't seem so bad."

I touched the bandage on my cheek and pulled it off. Exploring the burn with my fingers, I realized it didn't hurt as much as before. "Set me down."

He did so and swung the rifle off his shoulder, stashing it behind a dumpster.

I put tentative weight on my left leg. While it and my damaged arm still throbbed, I was able to stand on it without much extra pain. And, after taking a few steps, found I could walk on it.

"The portal must have healed it a little," I said and twirled.

"You should still get checked out, though."

"You're right. Shall we go now?"

He nodded.

Coming out of the alley, we turned left and started up the street toward the hospital, though I was tempted to turn right and head into the store that was the source of the bread smell. Yamamoto Bakery was a favorite of Karube's and mine.

My muscles were stiff but I was walking okay. Niragi strolled beside me, taking in the sights as I pointed them out to him.

We had just reached a huge intersection, filled with pedestrians, when I glanced across the street toward the alley Karube and I had taken which had contained the rabbithole to Borderland.

Two figures made their way toward it.

I froze a moment when I recognized the loud floral pattern of a familiar shirt.

"Karube?" I whispered.

Then I ran.

"Karube!" I saw me...another me...disappear down the alley. I ran faster, ignoring the pain shooting through my leg and arm, ignoring Niragi as he ran after me. I only had one goal in mind.

To reach my husband.

"KARUBE!"

My husband paused at the mouth of the alley and turned at the sound of my voice. He looked over his shoulder into the alley before returning his confused gaze to me.

I ran up to him, burying myself against his chest, only wanting to get as close as I could to him. The scent of him, cigarette smoke and spicy cologne, filled me. God, how I missed that smell!

He reared back, pulling himself from me. "Nani? Jennie-chan? But I...you...? Where did you come from?" He had a look of panic and confusion on his face. "You were just...how did you...?"

"I can explain everything," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I just saved your life."

At that point, Niragi came up. "Damn, kitten, you sure can run fast when you want to. Are you hurting?"

Karube tilted his head, staring at the other man. "Who's this? What's going on?"

"Suguru Niragi," he said and bowed. "And you're not going to fucking believe what happened." He grinned at Karube.

Karube ignored him, looking at me. He looked like he might faint. "I was just with you. I saw you..." He glanced down the alley again. "How are you here? Like this?"

"I must look a mess," I admitted. "Let's go home, and I'll explain everything."

When he glanced at the alley yet again, I said, "That me has gone to Borderland. If you had gone with her, you would have died."

***

We three settled at the kitchen table in our apartment, located above my bar.

Karube was absolutely shell-shocked. I knew it must be hard for him to grasp. Just like me my first few days in Borderland. I explained as much as I could with Niragi adding parts whenever he saw fit.

"Are you burned?" he asked, touching my damaged hair.

"Yeah. I saved his dumb ass from someone who wanted to make him extra crispy." I kicked at Niragi as I spoke.

"Hey!"  But Niragi laughed. He tried to lay a hand on my thigh. I almost let him, the weight of his hand familiar, before peeling it off me.

"Jen, can we speak in private?" Karube did not look amused.

"Oh, sure."

He pulled me into our bedroom and shut the door. Left behind, Niragi wore a dangerous frown on his face.

"You seem pretty comfortable with him."

"We leaned on each other while we were playing the games."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"What?" I couldn't meet his gaze.

"Well, did you?"

"Yes," I burst out. "I-I slept with him."

He shook his head, his face turning red.

"You were dead!" It was my turn to be angry. "I watched you, die, Karube. One second you were there, the next there was a fucking laser hole in your head!" I choked back tears and covered my face with my hands, trying to get that awful memory out of my mind. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the two of hearts card. "Do you see this? This is your blood. You died! You died right in front of me. I never hurt so bad in my life. I wanted to die. Niragi saved me. He brought me back, gave me hope. And...he made the pain go away." Tears streamed down my face.

Karube sighed and took me into his arms.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "You died and I'm sorry."

When I felt his lips on mine, I sank against him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I'd missed him so much, it had been unbearable. I thought I'd never see him again. Never talk to him again. Never touch him again. Now I had a second chance, and I was going to make it our best life ever. "I love you, Daikichi-kun." I hadn't called him that since near the beginning of our relationship.

The stubble of his upper lip and chin scraped my skin as we kissed, setting it on fire. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair, bringing him even closer to me as our tongues danced.

When we finally pulled back, we were both breathless. His eyes...those gorgeous, star-filled eyes...searched my face. "You must have suffered so much," he murmured, touching my burned cheek with his fingertips. Then he pressed his forehead to mine.

Just then the door to our room burst open.

"She's mine!"