YOU, ME & DEATH ━━ polyam ann & kuina

𝟮𝟲 to her death

IT WAS CHISHIYA. It was her brother.

   He looked the same as he did when she had last seen him in the burning wreckage of The Beach. He had his white jacket on along with white flowing pants, his hood pulled as far over his face as he could get it. He hadn't seen her yet though his eyes were scanning the room.

   Quivering with excitement, Tomoko began to walk toward him. Each step inflated her with hope, so much that she thought she was so happy she could fly.

   Finally, his gaze landed on her. And his eyes grew enormous. He rarely showed emotion. He hadn't had this reaction when he had broken his arm as a kid, or even when they were transported to Borderlands together. His mouth dropped open and Tomoko could see him whisper her name.

   So, she took off running. She sprinted across the room and pulled her twin into a hug. Tomoko clasped him tightly in her arm, never wanting to let go, and he did the same.

  Chishiya clung to his older sister, voice choked with emotion as he said, "I thought you were dead."

   "Me too." Tomoko confessed.

   When they eventually split, Chishiya grabbed the empty space where her arm was supposed to be. His eyebrows shot upward in shock, "Did you do this yourself?"

   Tomoko nodded, "I had no other choice."

   Then, she caught sight of something on Chishiya's cheek. It was red and cracked, the skin over the top peeling off. Tomoko instantly recognised it as a burn from a fire and guilt gnawed at her, "This is because you stayed, isn't it?"

   "Yes. But it's not too bad. It's healing well and it might leave a scar, but that's it." Chishiya tried to reassure her.

   Swallowing thickly, Tomoko nodded. He was alright and that was all that mattered. Then, her eyes widened as she remembered: "Kuina, is she okay?"

Her brother nodded, "Yeah, she was okay last time I saw her—"

"Last time?" Tomoko repeated. Anxiety was beginning to worm at her stomach, burying deep into her skin and permanently staying in her bones. Shivers ran down her spine.

If Kuina had died and Tomoko had lived, she would never forgive herself.

Sensing her worry, Chishiya placed a firm hand on Tomoko's shoulder and squeezed it gently in reassurance, "We got split up by the King of Spades. She's with Tatta, Ann, Arisu and Usagi, so she'll be okay — and she can handle herself."

Nodding, Tomoko allowed herself to relax. It was true; Kuina was always strong and formidable. She took Last Boss down with just her fists whereas he had a katana. Kuina was and would be okay, and they could meet up after this game.

And then she realised something, "How did the King of Spades game split you up? Do you mean after you completed it?"

"No," Chishiya shook his head, visibly surprised that she did not know the same information he did. "It's not a real game. A psycho chases you around with a gun, trying to kill as many people as possible. There are no rules, no time limit. We didn't get told anything. He showed up and began his massacre. My working theory is that it is to force players to join other games since the King can't interfere with other face cards."

"The King of Spades...It's a massacre..." Tomoko repeated under her breath in disbelief. She let herself fall onto the wall beside her brother as she began to comprehend the crushing news. She covered her face with her hands then pulled them away, as if reality would dissolve and reveal itself to be a twisted dream. "I sent...She's in a massacre...I sent Heiya to her death."

Chishiya frowned at her, "Who's Heiya?"

"She's a high school girl, she's just a kid. Dammit! And I sent her there thinking she could complete the game...I saved her just to kill her."

Tomoko rubbed her head as she tried to think of a way to help her — but it had to be too late. Heiya must have already been there and dead by now. Tears formed in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She couldn't let the other players see her cry and view her as weak. Instead, she began to hit her head on the wall, the dull ache causing her some relief since it forced her to focus on the pain and not the fact she had involuntarily killed someone.

"Hey, stop that!" Chishiya exclaimed, placing his hand behind her head so that it just hit the softness of his skin instead the hard brick.

Sniffling, Tomoko covered her face with an elbow. She could feel people staring. She could feel her hope diminishing.

She just wanted to disappear.

But she couldn't do that because the game was starting.

The computer screen at the front of the room announced, "Difficulty, Jack of Hearts. Game, Solitary Confinement. Rules: guess the card suit that appears on the back of your collar. However, you may not look at the symbol yourself. Prohibited actions include looking at your symbol with a reflective surface and using violence or weapons to kill other players. The time limit is one hour per round. In the final five minutes, enter your cell and disclose your symbol. If you do not answer the correct symbol, it is game over. The collar will explode and you will die. Additionally, when the time limit reaches zero, the symbol on the collar will reset and change for each round. The Solitary Confinement game is about how much you trust your fellow players. Be aware that your opponent, the Jack of Hearts, has already been placed among you. The rounds repeat every hour. There is no limit to the number of rounds; enough food and drink has been provided. While participating in this game, no days will be removed from your visas. You win when the Jack of Hearts dies."

Tomoko and Chishiya exchanged a glance. They knew they would have each other's backs no matter what, meaning neither could die. They would tell each other the correct symbol, always.

Tomoko cracked a smile — maybe the universe was on her side all along.

🂱

AUTHOR NOTES
have i made it clear that tomoko believes in fate and the universe yet LMFAO /rh.
also i have no fucking idea how chishiya & the others figured out the jack was the jack so if anything in the fic looks off just ignore that 💀