The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

A sting in my battered soul

"Ugh, it's dark here!" Usagi bumped into me when she threw this statement into the room and I smiled, "Sorry, Ayuna-chan!"

"No problem. Arisu, where are you? We've lost sight of you!" I exclaimed and there was a rustling in front of us, then the man in question crawled out of the darkness and shined his flashlight at us. I blinked as the bright light hit my eyes.

"You stupid, put the flashlight down!" Usagi hissed next to me, and I smiled again. Then I nudged her as Arisu ran forward again.

There was another question that had been on the tip of my tongue for a while now.

"Tell me, what's going on between you and Arisu now? You seem somehow...familiar?" I asked her quietly. Despite the darkness, I could tell she was blushing a little. But she didn't even get around to answering me because we reached our destination.

A door... protected by a code lock.

But we didn't even need a code anymore because the door was already open. How strange...

Arisu entered the lion's den first. Usagi quickly followed him while I held back a little. Somehow, I started to have doubts. Did I really want to go after them and find out the truth too?

What was behind that red dot on the map - would it answer my questions or not?

What was holding me back, why did I suddenly not want to know anymore? I swallowed, thinking I knew what it was.

Fear.

I was afraid that all my hopes would be dashed. What if I saw something now that would completely upset me, what if-

"Ayuna? You definitely have to see this!" Usagi pulled me out of my thoughts, and I took a deep breath before taking the next step. What I saw next, however, almost swept me off my feet.

A technical empire.

Yes, that was it. It was a secret hiding place, that much was clear. There was also electricity here, so the small tubes were lit, even if only slightly. I saw Arisu lean towards a PC with interest.

Only then did I notice the bodies that were scattered everywhere. Someone, more specifically the lasers, had been here before us, someone had known we were on our way here.

The evidence appeared to have been destroyed.

I stopped in the entrance area because I didn't dare to walk another meter.

Nausea rose within me. The corpses reminded me of her.

That's what she looked like when she fell to the ground.

I had to get out of here, I couldn't take it... Damn! Where had the brave Ayuna suddenly gone? I behaved like a baby!

"So, you found the place too, I didn't expect anything else," no... stop, I knew that voice! My heart suddenly threatened to jump out of my chest and my breathing became faster. I wasn't ready yet, I couldn't face him yet!

And yet... I wanted to at least see if he was okay. And so, I leaned against the wall to listen to them. Every now and then I could see Kuina switching from one leg to the other.

It's funny, a few days ago we were joking with each other, but now I could barely even look at her properly.

Love ruined everything, right? It destroyed friendships, relationships... It changed lives. And I didn't like the direction mine was going.

My gaze slid over the four people until I made contact with two eyes. I was immediately captivated by them.

His eyes... How could I have forgotten them?

Goosebumps spread across my body.

These eyes had already seen so much... They had already glided over so many places on my body...

Oh dear, I felt my head turning red again. Ashamed, I lowered my gaze to the ground, hoping it was dark enough so he wouldn't see. He remained silent in response before turning back to Arisu.

But just as he was about to start speaking again, it became bright. And by "bright" I meant bright. The whole room was practically flooded. Fanfares sounded, then an image formed on the screens.

Mira.

She smiled at us. I didn't like the smile; it showed a certain psychological disorder (at least that's how my professor would have described it). I just couldn't imagine what was going on in her head...

"Dear visitors to this country, friends! You did it! So many exciting games, so many lives sacrificed! How exciting!" I grimaced at her words. She couldn't be serious, could she?

Thousands of video recordings were brought onto the screen at once. Games, murders, blood, manslaughter... I was about to look away when I saw a small picture in the corner that caught my attention.

That was me.

In a white dress, on a bridge.

I had to watch as I jumped into the river, as Aguni rescued me and pulled my lifeless body out of the water. A shiver ran down my spine. So that's what it looked like.

That was me when I was dead...

The image flipped and we could see Mira clapping her hands. "That's why we have a big surprise for you! There will be another round! Isn't that great?" she smiled broadly, and my heart sank again.

That's what I was afraid of, those exact words.

I was already doubting myself - could I really go through this again?

"It starts this afternoon! Oh, I'm so excited!" the image changed, and I jumped when I heard a loud hum. What was that?

I immediately pushed myself off the wall and hurried out the door ahead of the others. And what I saw there froze the blood in my veins.

Huge airships flew in the sky. They carried twelve cards.

Jack of Spades.

Queen of Spades.

King of Spades.

Jack of Hearts.

Queen of Hearts.

King of Hearts.

Jack of Clubs.

Queen of Clubs.

King of Clubs.

Jack of diamonds.

Queen of Diamonds.

King of Diamonds.

The face cards. They hung from the sky - staring at us expectantly.

I heard footsteps behind me, then Chishiya came into view. He had stood next to me. We stared at the sky together. The games weren't over yet – the games that took place before just had been an appetizer.

"More games?" Usagi snorted in disbelief.

Chishiya next to me twisted the corner of his mouth before he said something quietly: "Actually, I don't think that the idea is bad."

It was clear that he felt different about the whole thing. And yet I couldn't understand it.

Well, maybe I just didn't want to understand it. Who knows, maybe this man next to me should just remain an unsolved mystery.

And still I wanted to get to know him further...

A dangerous mix of repulsion and affection... I was once again on the slippery slope.

But I would no longer ignore the fluttering in my heart.

However, I would need time. Time that I would hopefully still have.

It would start again.

Only this time I kind of knew what to expect.

Was I allowed to say that I was afraid?